Tales of Faith
by Ridin Valon
Summary: In the region of Niata, the entity know as 'Shadows', have returned and brings destruction once again. Yet, when there is darkness, there will be light. The Gems that were used to stop the Shadows have returned in this region in hopes of finding new owners to use their powers.
1. Prologue:The Gem

**Tales of Faith**

 **Prologue: The Gem**

 _Long ago… this world was plagued with an undesirable force… It brought terror and ate up all life that nears it._

 _None knew of its' name, thus they dubbed it as the Shadows for its' ability to eat anything in its' path while making it disappear._

 _This plague was soon stopped by weapons that came from the gods themselves. The Shadows were defeated, and sight of it was no longer seen for an eternity. The weapons that brought the Shadows' downfall shifted its' shape to small gems. Now, none know of these gems' location._

 _But should the Shadows arise… We know that the gems will bring faith for us… to the birth of a new generation._

"…And that's the end of this story."

All of the young Pokémon sighed, as the book was closed by an Monferno. He gave a warm smile. "I'm afraid that now storytelling is now over. Now, continue on with your lessons, your teacher will be returning soon."

"Aww…. Mr… Grantieur…" The young Pokémon whined.

"I think that calling me Van will be fine for everyone." The fire primate said, knowing that his surname was hard to pronounce.

"Mr. Van! Mr Van! Do you believe that the gems exist?" Another young Pokémon said.

"If these 'gems' had existed in this time… I know that it will bring the world to believe in faith." Van said.

Slinging a sack on his shoulder, he departed from the building. Van took a breath, feeling the warmth of the town he lived in. Fone Village was its' name. "Van!" A voice said. The call came from the road, where a Mincinno stood by.

"Sara." Van gave a smile. "So, how're you doing?"

"Just as always!" Sara answered. "So, how was 'school' today? What did you read today?"

"The Legend of the Gems."

"Oh, that story. My parents would always tell me that when I was a child." Sara said. "So, do you believe that the Gems exist?"

"No." Van said, looking away.

"You're lying." Sara said. "I heard that you're heading off to the mountains to check out an 'spectacular discovery'."

"Hah, you got me there." Van chuckled. "So, I'll be heading off now."

* * *

A brief half-hour passed, and Van had made it to his destination. "A mine…" Van said, taking note of the appearance of the area. "I wonder what is the 'spectacular discovery'?" He murmured, heading into the mine. Looking at the walls, the mine must had been recently built. Today, strangely, there was no one making their attempts to find treasure hidden in the walls.

"Ah, that must be the person who called for me." Van said. He walked over towards a Golett that stood near a torch. "Hello. My name's Van Grantieur."

The Golett took notice of his presence. "Oh, that's right! Van! I'm Krit." The Golett introduced. "It's nice to meet you." It shook hands with Van. "The pleasure's all mine. Now, what did you state that was an 'spectacular discovery'?"

"Oh, yes! That!" Krit said. "Now, follow me!" It brought Van towards a path, leading them to a spacious area. At the opposite end of the area, Van could see something red embedded at the wall. As the two headed closer to the red area, Van could finally see what it was: a small sized ruby.

"So, that's it." Krit said. "I was wondering whether you know what it is." Van stared at the ruby. 'I've seen this before…' he thought, drawing out a book from his bag. Flipping through the pages and his tail flame hovering above the book for light, he looked at the ruby. 'It…It's…' Van thought. 'And I thought that they're just a myth… But, if that ruby's here… then is it trying to say something?'

"Hello? Excuse me?" Krit's voice snapped him from his thoughts. Van turned to face Krit. "What's that red thing?"

"Oh… That's a ruby you see in front of you." Van explained. "These jewels are very rare, even in this region. A ruby is a symbolisation of the element of fire. If you manage to make a sale of a ruby, then you would earn a fortune."

"I tried to take it out earlier, but it was practically glued to the wall." Krit said. "Maybe you could give it a try, since you said a ruby symbolises fire, which is your element."

Van nodded, his hand reaching for the ruby. He gripped around it, giving a small tug, and then more forceful tugs, but the ruby didn't budge an inch. Van shook his head, releasing his hand from the ruby. "It looks like that the ruby's not bud-ungh?!" He flinched, feeling a sudden pain in his chest. Moving a hand, he pressed on his chest.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Krit asked, noticing Van's sudden movement. Van blinked once, surprised that the pain was over as soon as it began. "No, it's nothing." Van said.

* * *

"It's stormy tonight." Van said, looking out of the window. "It's a good thing that I managed to get back here just before the rain began." It had been evening when he returned from the mountains, and now, a heavy rain has poured on Fone Village in night. Sara walked over by his side. "It's a heavy rain, indeed." She said. "That reminds me, that was like the day that my family found you as a child and took you in."

"I don't think that I could forget that…" Van said. "But now, your parents have already passed away, and you're still taking care of me. So… thanks." Sara gave a warm smile. "You're welcome…Hm?" Her attention diverted to the windows again. Van raised an eyebrow. "Sara?" The Monferno asked. "What's wrong?" His eyes looked at the windows.

"I think I heard something…" Sara said, closing her eyes. "Let me concentrate…Hmm… 'What's that? It's coming out from… the shadows…'...Aah!" She clutched her ears.

"Sara?!" Van grabbed her, giving some shakes. "…I heard a scream from outside… and it was cut short…" Van looked at the windows again, and released his hands on Sara. "Stay here. I'll check it out." He said, walking towards the door.

"Van, you can't! Other than this heavy shower, I have a bad vibe from…" Sara suddenly heard another scream, which was cut short as well. At that very moment, Van suddenly felt something contract in his chest. "Aaaaaahhh!" He gave a shout, suddenly dropping to his knees. This sensation felt strangely familiar. "Van?!" Sara gasped, nearing him. Van took a breath. "D-Don't worry, it's just nothing…Gyaaaaaah!" The pain suddenly intensified in him. Van started to clutch his chest, which was filled with waves of tormenting pain every passing second.

"Van…! I'll get help-" Sara said, before giving a shout as glass suddenly shattered. She turned to see a small hole made in the window, and looking up, she saw a glowing ruby floating above Van. Van managed to muster some strength to open his eye to look at the object above him. 'That's…!' his mind said, recognising the ruby. A force suddenly pushed Sara away, causing her to scream as she was brought a distance away from Van. A glowing red fog-like substance started to surround Van.

"Sara…! Get out…!" He gave another agonized scream as the area around his heart pained again and again, his breathing becoming more ragged. Sara shook her head. "No, Van! I'm not leaving you! Especially not after what happened to my parents!"

"Ahhhh…Aaaaahhhh….AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Van screamed. The ruby gave off a brilliant shine, preventing Sara from seeing anything as she shielded her eyes. Van could feel intense heat waves spreading from around him. The pain, that was once a raging inferno from inside him began to subside. He could have sworn that he started to hear another voice throughout the pain that he was going through. It said something, but he could make it out as 'Chosen Fighter of Fire, seek out the other elements to defeat the Shadows, that have returned to our world once again.'

The violent pain had finally subsided. Van gave out ragged breaths before his breathing returned to normal. His vision was blurry momentarily, soon focusing on everything clearly. It was a shock of what was around him. Hardened stones of magma spread around the construction of the building. There was nothing that had magma as a cocoon. He looked at the ceiling. The ruby was no longer there, and when his gaze lowered to his front, his eyes widened in horror.

"SAAAAAARRRRRRRAAAAAA!"

 **Prologue End**

* * *

 **Hello. It's some time while my head hurts… and probably from doing a hell of polytechnic reflections…**

 **Anyhow… this is a crossover between Pokémon and the Tales series (Zestria, Xillia, etc.). All characters in this story are pure Pokémon, not anyone who undergoes a transformation or what sort. They'll be focusing on the usage of weapons and rather their 'moves'. And some of the attacks here, will originate from the Tales series, like Demon Fist/Fang, Aqua Edge, etc.**

 **Yes, I realised that the prologue 'took' after the Tales of Rebirth beginning, well it IS a crossover…**

 **I know, that I've taken a LONG absence of writing, but I'll catch up!**

 **OF COURSE, THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL THAT I OWN EITHER Pokémon nor Tales.**


	2. Chapter 1:A Certain Request

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 1 A Certain Request**

"The battle ends!" A voice shouted. "Victory belongs to the White side!"

Two figures that stood at the center of a large room, with a handful of spectators watching the end of the battle. The first figure had a spear pointed to the other, which was downed. The spear-wielder was a Noivern. Drawing the spear back, he gave a huff, resting the spear on his shoulder.

"Your skills are excellent, great lancer." The defeated member said, standing up. "And… what was your name?"

"…Elazul." The Noivern gave a reply, turning away and leaving the stadium. As he walked by the corridor, he had planned to take a rest, but judging by a figure donned in a large blue robe and a cone hat of a great size, he knew that his plan would be halted.

"Oi! Elaz-WAAAAAH!" The figure suddenly toppled forward, and landed face-first on the floor. The large hat came off as a result, revealing the magic user as a male Politoed. The mage quickly scampered to his feet, grabbing the cone-shaped hat, and sliding it on his head.

"Tripping on even flat surfaces…" Elazul muttered. "You're a fool."

"Eeh… C'mon, Elazul…" The mage whined. Then he turned to face the source of another voice. It belonged to an elder Politoed, and by its' appearance, a mage as well.

"Luca R. Ezperanda, an excellent performance from today." The teacher said.

"Heehee… You'll embarrass me..." Luca said, rubbing the back of his head.

"…Although, it would be a lot better if your spells didn't destroy half of the class." The teacher finished, which cut off Luca's words. "Now, excuse me…" The teacher walked further away from the two.

"…You destroyed the classroom again?" Elazul said. He received no response from Luca, who lowered his head greatly. He rose his head quickly. "It's not my fault! I… I… just don't know how to control these spells!"

"You meant the advanced spells, didn't you?"

"Eeh…" Luca sighed. Elazul caught him there. He faced Elazul. "Anyhow… Master wants to see the both of us! He told me to find you and then bring you there!"

"Tell him that I'm–" Elazul started before being cut off his words.

"He told me that this is compulsory for us! It looks like a big thing! Honestly, you're acting like this because of you–"

"Don't talk about that in front of me." Elazul suddenly said, a dangerous edge in his tone.

"Oh, yeah… I forgot about talking about that…" Luca said as they began to head off to the Master's chambers. At the doors, two armour-clad males stood by, and once noticing the duo walking towards the door, they brought the weapons in front of the doors. "Halt. You must have the Master's permission to ente- oh, Luca. And I see you've brought Elazul with you." The figure on the left said.

"Yup!" Luca said. "Now, let us in so that we could get some conversation going!"

"Very well." The figure on the right said, withdrawing the weapons. Luca gave a firm hum while Elazul continued his silence as the doors began to open.

"Master! I brou–AAAHHHH!" Luca said before he felt a sudden tug and once again landed on the floor face-first. Elazul walked by him, taking the cushion as a seat. Soon, Luca scampered towards the second cushion, plopping down in a comfortable manner.

"Elazul del Fable. Luca R. Ezperanda." The Master spoke. "The reason that I have brought the two of you here is that I have an important request that you two must have."

"What request is so 'important' that I have to be brought here?" Elazul said, giving Luca a shock.

"Whoa, WHOA! Elazul! Don't be disrespectful!" He said, quickly facing the Master. "I'm so sorry, Master, Elazul's just kidding!" He apologized, and quickly faced Elazul. "Right?" Elazul made no response.

"As I were saying…" The Master said. "There is a situation that is occurring at near the mountainsides. I would like the two of you to investigate. Better still, I should hand the request to you." Passing a parchment of paper to Luca, the mage began to read aloud.

"Title: Subdue the 'Berserker'

Client: Arche

Description: At the mountainsides of Fone Village, adventurers or merchants passing by the area have reported sightings of a strange figure. Some of them have been attacked by this strange figure although they have done nothing wrong. We would like some adventurers to subdue this 'Berserker' and bring it to the Kingdom of Namdiascar, where a reasonable verdict will be made for this creature."

"Wait a minute…" Luca said. "'Arche'? You mean, THE NAMDIASCAR PRINCESS ARCHE?!" His voice rose to an excited tone. "Elazul! We're getting a request from THE PRINCESS! ISN'T THAT…. AWESOME!?" He squealed.

"…Quiet down." Elazul spoke, grabbing the parchment and looking through the contents to make sure Luca wasn't making things up. He passed the parchment back after reading it. "…You weren't lying."

"Well, duh! I am telling the truth!" Luca said. "Speaking of Fone Village, wasn't there a cataclysmic disaster that happened six months ago? Something about the outbreak… of Shadows?"

"Shadows…" Elazul muttered, feeling that word sting him greatly.

"What Luca said is true." The Master said. "Our worst fear has been reborn; the Shadows have been sighted once again. Now, the other guilds in the major cities are now supressing those vile forces as we speak."

"I don't get it." Luca said. "I thought there were no survivors in Fone Village."

"It looks like that the 'Berserker' is proving us wrong." Elazul said.

"Needless to say…" The Master spoke. "You two are to investigate Fone Village and find this 'Berserker'. Subdue it if necessary. Bring it to the Kingdom of Namdiascar afterwards."

Luca stood up from the cushions. "Don't worry! We'll get this job done in a jiffy!" He said proudly. Elazul faced him. "…Your voice treats it like that this will be the last mission you'll take." Elazul stated.

"By the way… How do we get to Fone Village?" Luca asked.

* * *

After leaving the guild, and at most two hours of travelling on the roads, Elazul and Luca have made a stop at a building which was a centre for travellers or guild members to get supplies. A Wigglytuff which was standing behind a counter notices the two entering the building. "Hello, young Mage and Lancer!" The Wigglytuff greeted. "How can I help you?"

"We want one map of the Niata region! And I want to order a Rice Ball!" Luca says. The Wigllytuff nods and passes Luca a roll of paper. Luca excitedly opens it up, showing a map of the Niata region. "…Huh? Why is the Norm Islands at the south?" He asked curiously.

"Turn the map." Elazul said. Luca turned the map as instructed and gave a gasp of realisation. "Oh! I see now!" Luca turned to the counter, and Wigglytuff passes him a Rice Ball. "Thank you!" Luca says, finding himself a seat to consume his Rice Ball. Elazul follows him and took the seat opposite of Luca.

The region named 'Niata' is a land made of five different parts of lands which only inhabitants are Pokémon. As what Luca have said earlier, the Norm Islands are located at the northern area where blizzards and torrential seas are the main environment of this place. The bridge connecting the Norm Islands and the Central Island is damaged and now in reconstruction. The Eastern Region, where Elazul and Luca's guild resides and home to Fone Village, had an environment consisting of mountainsides and nearing to the Central Island, a heavy foliage of trees. In the Southern Isle, it was said that in this land of coast and a volcano island, there was a village that contained ninjas, rare warriors rarely seen by anyone. The Western Sector, that contained several plains where lightning strikes and home to many ruins in a vast desert, travellers could see a floating city in this region. And finally, the Central Island. It is a large land that connects the other four regions via bridges. This whole land is the capital of the Kingdom of Namdiascar, where it is ruled by the princess, Arche.

"Good afternoon, Slurpuff. How can I help you?"

Wigglytuff's voice prompted Luca to look at the counter. From the seats, he could see a new visitor, a female Slurpuff. "Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Fone Village?" The Slurpuff asked.

"Why, of course!" Wigglytuff says, opening a map and passing it to the Slurpuff and giving an explanation of the route towards Fone Village. The Slurpuff gave nods after the explanation. "I see! Thank you very much!" She said. Luca stood up, giving a shout, much to Elazul's displeasure. "Hey! You're heading to Fone Village too?" Luca asked.

The smaller fairy Pokémon takes notice of Luca and heads over to the table. "Yes, I am." She replies. "Do you mind if I sit here?" Luca gave a nod, whereas Elazul shakes his head. Luca notices Elazul's action. "Hey, come on! She's heading to the same place as us!" he shouts.

"You're heading to Fone Village as well?" The Slurpuff asks.

Luca nods. "Of course! Come on, take a seat!" The Slurpuff nods, sitting beside Elazul. Luca's head lit up in realisation. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself!" He said. "My name's Luca R. Ezperanda, and I'm a Mage!"

"I see!" The Slurpuff said, beginning to introduce herself. "My name's Vanille, Cloudia Vanille. I'm a Hunter." She turned to face Elazul. "And your Lancer friend's name is?" she asked. Elazul had his wings folded over the other, giving no response. "Hey!" Luca said. "It wouldn't kill you to just say your name!"

"…Elazul." Elazul responds. Luca shook his head. "Come on! Vanille and I introduced ourselves by our full names, so why can't you?" he said. Elazul made a few grumbles before speaking. "…Elazul del Fable."

"Elazul del Fable. That's a nice name." Vanille commented.

"So, why're you heading to Fone Village?" Luca asked.

"Oh, well, see…" Vanille explained. "I'm on a job to hunt down this 'Berserker'."

"You're hunting the 'Berserker'?!" Luca said. "We're on the same mission! Hey, I got an idea! Why don't you join us?"

"Luca, what are you doing!?" Elazul demanded. "Having someone who we've just met to join us is absurd!"

Luca faced Elazul. "The more the merrier, right? Besides, the only requests I've been doing is delivery-based. It's my first time taking this request! And it looks like she has some experience in combat! Come on… please let her accompany us…!" He started to pout, knowing that it annoys Elazul.

Elazul made more grumbles before resigning to the pouting face of Luca. "Alright, alright. Fine. Let her tag along." He grumbled, facing away.

After Luca has finished eating, the now-trio departed from the centre, taking the route that would lead them towards Fone Village. Vanille paid a handful of attention that Luca spoke of about Mages and his own dreams, which Elazul just simply ignored Luca. When night fell, the three set up camp at the peak of the mountain that they were on.

"Luca, can I ask you something?" Vanille asked, nibbling on a berry. "Why did you join a guild?" Elazul had already went to sleep after he had finished his dinner, so Vanille could only talk to Luca. Luca placed his large hat away before speaking. "Hmm… I guess I was influenced by my pops. He was a great Mage, able to use multiple spells which included even one of the most powerful spells, Indignation."

"Huh? What did you mean by 'was a great Mage'?" Vanille asked.

'Ah… you see…my pops passed away a few years ago…" Luca said solemnly. "I remember that he was protecting the Kingdom of Namdiascar on that day… Before he left to the battle, he passed a jewel to me. He told me to 'keep my aspirations and continue to have faith in who I am' in that jewel…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about your father… No, I'm sorry for bringing up such painful memories…" Vanille said, looking away in guilt of bringing Luca to talk about his past.

"Hey, I'm not mad for talking about my past." Luca said, doing his best to hold back a tear. "Besides, do you want to see the jewel as an apology?"

"I guess that'll be alright…"

"Okay." Luca's hand reached for the robe pockets, and pulled out a bright blue jewel the size of his hand. "It's a Sapphire. It's supposed to represent the element of Water." Vanille looked at the sparkling blue jewel. "Hey… I think I have something that is similar to your jewel." Vanille said, reaching for her bag. Rummaging through the bag, she finally pulled out something. It was a colourful round jewel.

"This is an Opal. I found it two years ago when helping out a client to search for their lost item." Vanille explained. "When I feel like holding on to it… I would wear it as a brooch." She started to yawn. "…Oh, it's time for me to sleep." She said, and looked at Luca, who was yawning as well. "Same here." He grabbed his wooden staff, pointing it towards the small fire. "…Water, plunge down… Aqua Edge." His staff produced a blob of water, and it shot towards the fire as a small blade and extinguished the fire.

"Goodnight, Elazul, and Luca." Vanille said, lying on the floor and closing her eyes.

Luca placed his hat on his face. "Night…" He said, before he went into loud snoring. Their content faces were all that mattered, until a certain wyvern's eye opened.

Had they paid more attention to their surroundings, Luca or Vanille would have realised that Elazul was never asleep from the beginning, but was eavesdropping on their conversation. His eyes fixated on a sky-coloured jewel on his claw, an Aquamarine. "'Gems'…" He muttered under his breath, trying to close his eyes for rest. "They're nothing but…a curse."

 **Chapter 1 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Lancer (One who has mastered the use of a spear)**

 **Weapon: Spear**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Clumsy Mage (A offensive magic user, but is horribly clumsy.)**

 **Weapon: Wooden Staff**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Hunter (A user who specialises in using bows and arrows.)**

 **Weapon: Bow**

 **And, that's the end of the first chapter. Is anyone thinking that Van wasn't mentioned in this chapter? Hey, I thought of this part, alright? Elazul's a sourpuss, Luca's an overly-excited male, and Vanille's a cutie. As shown from above, after their names, these are their 'Titles' and description involved.**

 **As like in Tales series, the characters concentrate on using the weapons they hold on and rather than their Moves, or probably replaced by Artes. As you can see, Elazul uses spears, Luca uses staves/wands, and Vanille uses bows. Of course, they'll have their own 'Mystic Arte'/'Hi-Ougi' respectively.**

 **The story focuses on at least 3 'Arcs'. Now is the 'Main Arc', and then the '? Arc'. The third arc '? Arc' takes place in rather the different timeline of the main/second Arcs.**


	3. Chapter 2:Fone Village's Berserker

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 2 Fone Village's Berserker**

Next day afternoon, the three have reached the base of the mountain, where Fone Village could be seen. Luca was making his humming loud and will be having a conversation with Vanille afterwards, and Elazul was shutting his ears to lessen those 'annoying sounds'.

"And you know, Elazul's a horrible cook! He has never cooked once in his life before, and practically anything he makes either catches fire or is raw!" Luca said to Vanille. He was ready to continue when Elazul cut him off. "This comes from the Mage who can't even read maps and has walked in circles around a tree for three hours!" he said. He then noticed Vanille trying to stifle a laugh. "What?"

"The two of you…" Vanille said, but ended up laughing. "Elazul, you act like an elder sibling to Luca!"

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Elazul shouted, trying to hide a small blush on his face. He stopped his movements. "It's like raising a nursery here…" he grumbled under his breath.

"Hey! We've finally reached Fone Village!" Luca shouted, pointing in front of them. There was the village. Prelude to six months, it was a peaceful village filled with life. But now, it was a ruined site that was destroyed by Shadows. "Hurry up, you two!" Luca said, running ahead of the two, when Elazul's head rose up in shock.

"STOP!"

Luca registers the sounds and halts his movements. In front of him, a black blob suddenly jumped up in front of him. "WAH!" He screamed, the blob taking shape into a strange creature of a sort. Before it could finish forming, a spear appeared from behind and pierced the creature, causing it to disintegrate into black particles that vanished from trace. Looking around, Luca could see three more blobs of black coming out from the ground, completely taking shape of a humanoid-like figure. Elazul pulled his spear out from the ground, readying for an attack. Vanille hurried up to the two, grabbing the bow slung on her back, and an arrow from a quiver from her bag.

It took a few seconds for Luca to realise the figures around them. "Sh-Shadows?! They're here?!" He said, hastily pulling his wooden staff out from his robes. Elazul looked at the three figures. "Luca, this is your first battle, isn't it?" He asks.

"Huh? Y-Yeah, it is!" Luca said.

"A ranged fighter like you and Vanille can't bear to battle close combat." Elazul said. "Therefore, physical combatants like me will attempt to divert the enemy's attention in order for you to execute your spells."

"But, Elazul! Are you sure you'll be fine?" Luca asks worriedly.

"Don't worry about me! Here they come!" Elazul shouted.

Luca quickly turned his head to see an incoming Shadow heading towards them. "Wah!" He said, retreating a distance, Vanille keeping close to him. Elazul made quick thrusts on the Shadows and kicking at most two of them away and handling the one he left. Vanille readied her bow, pulling the bowstring and aiming at her target.

"Hell Pyre!" Vanille shouted, releasing an arrow. Flames suddenly wrapped around the arrow. The scorching arrow landed on one the Shadows, and it dispersed into black mist which vanished from sight. Luca quickly began to chant for a spell. "Whirling gale… tear my foes apart, Wind Blade!" Swirling his staff, he pointed it towards a Shadow Elazul was facing. Wind-created projectiles surrounded the Shadow, slashing it continuously. Soon, it no longer had any strength left to carry on fighting and disappeared into mist.

Luca gave a small sigh of relief. "Well, that should be over now…" he said. Unbeknownst to him, he didn't notice that a Shadow was now behind him, rising slowly from the ground. Vanille, turning around to talk to him, notices the Shadow behind Luca. "Luca!" she gave a shout.

"Lancer!" Barely a second has passed, and Elazul, who was a comparable distance in front of Luca, was now behind the Politoed. The Shadow that was between them had a great hole through its' figure. It shook before disappearing into the black mist it was created by. Luca blinked, watching the mist fade from out of sight. For a moment, he felt like he had died just now.

Elazul twirled his spear before hanging it on his back, and faced Luca. "Let your guard down for even a brief moment, and you'll regret it." Luca gave an uncertain nod in response, frightened by that moment. Facing away from Elazul, he has realized that the battle had them moved in the village itself.

"So this is Fone Village…" Vanille said.

There could be nothing said of the place in ruins. Vegetation was dead there. Signs of severe damage was embedded in the earthen floor. Just about every shelter-based construction had collapsed, but…

"Over here!" Luca said, pointing to a house. Unlike the rest of this devastated land, the house was standing perfectly. Despite seeing charred areas present around the house, Elazul could tell that there was something strange. A thin shadow suddenly started to widen in front of Vanille and Luca, who were taking a closer look but have not entered the house. "N-Not another Shadow!" Luca screamed.

They suddenly heard the sounds of weapons clashing. Quickly turning around, Luca and Vanille saw that Elazul had his spear holding up against another weapon. A large metallic blade connected to a hilt. It is a broadsword. Soon, the weapons were separated from the impact made by the clash. Landing on the ground, the owner of the broadsword made a glare at the trio.

"Hey, that's a Monferno, isn't it?" Vanille said, reaching out for a pocket in her bag, taking out a piece of paper. Looking at it, and then at the Monferno. "That must be the 'Berserker'! Our target!" Vanille said.

The 'Berserker' firmed his grip on the broadsword's hilt. "Stay away. If you know what's best for you."

"We can't step back." Elazul replied. "Our orders are to find the 'Berserker' and subdue… him before more trouble is made at Fone Village."

"'Berserker'?" The 'Berserker' questioned. "You're not going to get what you want here!" He gave a shout, slamming the weapon to their direction. "Demon Fang!" He pulled out the broadsword, creating a projectile that travelled towards them. "Aah!" Vanille said, jumping away to avoid the ground-travelling attack. Luca made another jump as well to avoid the Demon Fang.

"Eeh…?!" Luca realised that he was left with the 'Berserker'. "Elazul! Vanille! Where did you go?" He screamed, not noticing the two on the roof of the stable building. Vanille watched from the building, ready to jump in to help Luca, when Elazul stopped her.

"Hold it." Elazul said. "I just need to see whether he can really fight, especially when his life is on the line."

"But still…" Vanille said, looking at the travelled path of that Demon Fang. It led to a now obliterated stone. "That attack wasn't obviously just any arte!"

Elazul didn't say anything. He looked at Luca, who was narrowing evading attacks without any chances to attack at all. '…If you can't even defeat this male, then you've no reason to battle…' he thought silently. He faced Vanille. "…Fine, if he can't keep up with this battle, then we'll help."

"But…!" Vanille said as she looked worriedly at Luca, hearing his screams from evading.

'How am I supposed to cast anything at all with him attacking me relentlessly?!' Luca thought, screaming as he avoided another slash made by the broadsword. "Eeyah! Ack! Whoa! AAH!" He suddenly gasped as he fell backwards. He looked up to see the 'Berserker' diving down with the blade. "AAAAAAH!" Luca screamed, covering his head and looking away. Elazul was ready to move until he heard a sound.

" _Tue rei ze croa riou tue ze…"_

Luca opened his eyes slowly, first seeing the broadsword just mere inches from his face. The 'Berserker' seemed to be struggling, trying to push the broadsword further through the unknown force that is occurring. Elazul was startled by the sudden 'paralysis' that the 'Berserker' was experiencing. But that melody, it was coming from near him. Turning to his right, Vanille's mouth was moving, the sound coming out were that melody that he is hearing now. Luca gripped his staff. "O great seas, pour down on us…" He began to chant. Then, the melody ended. Vanille's eyes began to shut as she suddenly collapsed on Elazul. Luca quickly made a roll away, before the 'Berserker's actions were no longer restricted, the broadsword crushing the earth below it.

"…Spread!" Luca finished, directing his staff. A sudden torrent of water appeared from above, crashing down on the 'Berserker'. "Quickly! Stop my foes… Bind!" Small streams of energy appearing from Luca's staff circled around the 'Berserker'. The streams latched on the 'Berserker', tightening him from any movements. The binding caused his grip to loosen and his broadsword fell down.

Luca took in breaths repeatedly, mainly from the exhausting action of running around. "F-Finished…" he said. "I-I thought I was finished…" He finally looked up to notice Elazul landing beside him. "E-Elazul! Where did you go?!" He said, and then noticed Vanille, unconscious. "Wh-What happened to her?" The Politoed Mage took another breath. "Deep breath…. Deep breath…" He said. "A-Anyway… we have to bring this 'Berserker' to the capital and bring Vanille to a…"

"Wait." Elazul suddenly said. He stared at the 'Berserker', discerning details from him. Letting Vanille rest on Luca's lap, he asks the 'Berserker', "Why're you trying to keep travellers away from that house?"

The 'Berserker' looked at him. "…What house?" he said.

"It's the house which foundation is still standing." Elazul said. "When we first arrived there, neither of us has entered there, but I could see from the heavily damaged grounds around that house, there must have been someone who has been desperately trying to keep them away from that house. However, despite these rough battles, the house shows no signs of damage from these battles. I concluded that someone's keeping other 'enemies' away from that house because apparently, something important to them is involved. Luca mentioned that there were no survivors there since from six months, and narrowing all other options, the only one who could have been guarding this house… is the 'Berserker'."

"Nnn…" Luca heard a sound, and looked down. Vanille's eyes began to move before they opened. "…Uhh…Luca?" She asked. "What happened…?" Luca rubbed his head. 'I… I don't know! I couldn't see you anywhere…"

"I… I remembered seeing you falling down on the ground from the roof and… I don't remember anything else…" Vanille told Luca. She got up slowly, looking towards Elazul. "Umm… Elazul?" She asked.

"…Hm?" Elazul said.

"Did anything happened to me?" She asked.

"…Nothing important." Elazul replied.

"…Van Grantieur." The 'Berserker' suddenly said. The three faced him. "Huh?" Luca asked, standing up.

"My name's Van Grantieur." The 'Berserker' repeated. "My sister and I are the only survivors since the raid six months ago. I think it'll be best if you'd follow me." Standing up, but still bound by the energy ropes, Van led them in the house. In the house, the appearance was somehow… strange. About every area in the room they have entered was under a layer of solid magma. In front of Van and the other three, there was a figure standing there. It, too, was under a layer of solid magma.

"…My sister, Sara…" Van said.

"Did the Shadows…cause this?" Vanille wondered, looking at the solidified figure.

"No… If only I had control over this… Please release my hands. I promise that I won't attack." Van said. Luca gave an uncertain nod, lightly taping a layer of the bind with his staff. "Release." Only a layer, but just enough for Van to move his hands, vanished, probably to return to where it originally belonged to. Van looked at his right hand, clutching it with the other hand. "Ggh…." He made a few grunts, his body shaking lightly. Then, something started to phase out of Van's palm. It was a beautiful red jewel, a…

"That's a Ruby!" Luca said. "It's my first time seeing one! Huh?" He looked at his robe pockets. A visible glow of blue started to escape from the pockets. Digging through his pocket, he pulled out his Sapphire, the jewel catching Van's eye. Then, two more glows came from Elazul and Vanille. Vanille pulled out the Opal she had from her bag, which radiated with a colourful glow. Elazul took his Aquamarine out from a pouch, and that gem gave off a lighter blue shade of light. Then, the jewels stopped glowing. "…Where did you three get those?" Van asked after a moment of silence.

"Uh, it was a gift from my pops." Luca said.

"I found it during a request I took." Vanille answered.

"…I don't want to talk about it." Elazul said. Having said that, he returned the Aquamarine in his pouch.

"This would have never happened if I never saw it…" Van said, letting the Ruby phase back into his body. Luca and Vanille kept their gems as well. He looked at the coating that had the shape of his sibling. "But… what can I do?"

"Luca, water has the advantage against fire, right?" Elazul said, facing Luca.

"Yes, so…?" Luca asked.

"Oh, I get it!" Vanille said, facing Luca. "Luca, if you cast a good water spell, then maybe the structure would weaken and crumble more easily!"

"A good water spell?" Luca said. "Leave it to me! I'll cast a good Tid–"

"Don't cast **that** spell." Elazul quickly said. Luca sighed, "Okay…" he said. Getting beside Van, Luca spoke to Van. "Hey, I think that I can get your sister out!"

"Really?" Van said. "Yet, that battle from earlier… And I thought that there's no way that I could earn your trust after that..."

"But Elazul got a good eye!" Luca said. "And I trust him as a friend!" Van faced the magma-coated figure. "…Okay, please help me."

Luca straightened his hat. "Okay! O great seas, pour down on us!" He chanted his water spell, moving his staff. "Spread!" A torrent of water appeared above the figure, drenching it completely. As the water ran through the figure, Van swung his leg, giving a shout before the front layer broke down. Now, the four could see a Mincinno. Her eyes had been closed. Without the layer supporting her, her body toppled forward. Van quickly moved his body as a support for her, seeing that he can't move his arms fully.

"Sara…?" Van asked, giving a few light shakes, which caused Sara's body to react.

"…Van…?" Sara asked. "What happened…? And you look older…" She looked from behind him, and spotted the trio. "And who're they?"

"I'll explain as much as I can…" Van said. He faced the trio. "I need some time with her, could you leave us alone?"

After receiving the request from Van, the three left the house. With the conversation taking a good amount of time, Luca and Vanille took a rest near the walls of the 'molten' house. Elazul was walking around the ruins of Fone Village. After several conversations with Vanille, Luca found out that Vanille…

"Amnesia?" Luca says out of surprise. Vanille nods. "I'm sure that there's something I could remember faintly… But I always drew a blank. By going out and travelling to other places, I feel that I'm a step closer to finding my memories."

"So, uh, what about your age? How old are you?" Luca asks.

"My age?" Vanille said. "Hmm… I would say that I am roughly… about eighteen."

"I'm seventeen." Luca said. "Elazul's twenty-four this year."

"Twenty-four?" Vanille said, completely surprised despite his appearance. "But, he looks like he's twenty-years old." Luca shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know about dragons, so if you want to know why dragon-based beings look younger than they are… maybe you should ask one." He rose his head up to see Elazul arriving. "Hey, Elazul! Vanille wants to know why dragons look younger than they are!" he said. But Elazul does not respond.

"Elazul?" Luca asked.

"He may have caused trouble, but he's not really what he looks like." Elazul said. "When we reach the Kingdom of Namdiascar, the both of us will explain things to the people that Van's not bad. It was just for the purpose to protect his loved one." Elazul watched Van and Sara having a conversation from that distance. He looked around the ruins of the town, throwing several pieces of rubble away. "Hmm. I could use this." He said, pulling an iron lance out from the area he dug out.

"Oh. You're all done?" Van's voice said. The trio faced Van, who left the house with Sara. "As I said before, my name is Van Grantieur. This is my sister, Sara Chrysalis." Van said. "And your names are…?"

"Cloudia Vanille, a Hunter." Vanille said.

"I'm Luca R. Ezperanda, a Mage!" Luca said, facing Elazul. Nothing escaped from Elazul's mouth. "…And he's Elazul del Fable, a Lancer." Luca finished.

"But why is my brother being bound in a spell?" Sara asked. Luca scratched his head. "Uh, well, see… he did tell you that he was trying to keep anyone away from you, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm still frightened by him. So, I'll have the bind to remain until he gets to the capital." Luca said. Sara sighed. "I… understand… But I'll follow him! If we could reason with the people there, then maybe Van won't have to suffer a severe punishment!" she said. Van moved his shoulders, seeing that the bind was now back to normal, he could only move his legs and head. "Sara's mind can't be changed. So, you have to let her accompany us."

Vanille gave a nod. "I think that this is fine! Now, let's head off to the Kingdom of Namdiascar!" she said. Now, the party sets off from Fone Village, now their destination is the Kingdom of Namdiascar. Elazul's eyes could not keep off from Vanille. 'The song that she sang… but that's…' he thought.

 **Chapter 2 End**

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Lancer (One who has mastered the use of a spear)**

 **Weapon: Iron Lance**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Klutz (Countless miracles comes naturally. But is it okay to break a classroom?)**

 **Weapon: Wooden Staff**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Hunter (A user who specialises in using bows and arrows.)**

 **Weapon: Bow**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – 'Berserker?' ("He may have caused trouble, but he's not really what he looks like." – Elazul)**

 **Weapon: Broadsword**

 **Sara Chrysalia (Mincinno) – Survivor (One of the only survivors from Fone Village raid)**

 **Now, Van 'joins' the group. Because he's being 'deemed' as a "savage and merciless" fighter, which no one, probably excluding Luca, believes in that. We also find out that Vanille suffers from amnesia and she's trying to find her memories during her journeys.**

 **Oh, and what was the tune that Vanille suddenly sang? And why is it familiar to Elazul?**

 **Skit: Pestering Preview**

 **Sara: *stare***

 **Luca: "Uh. Uh…"**

 **Sara: "So, what's the next chapter?"**

 **Luca: (hesitant face) "Oh? Umm, let's see… we'd be heading to the Kingdom of Namdiascar… and…"**

 **Sara: "And…?"**

 **Luca: (back facing away) "And, uh, face off with a group of bandits."**

 **Sara: "Nothing else after that?"**

 **Luca: (panicked face) "Aah! Everything else's a secret!" (runs away)**

 **Vanille: (walks in with confused face) "I just saw Luca run like he was being pestered. Do you know what happened to him?"**

 **Sara: "Who knows?"**


	4. Chapter 3:The Blood Forest

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 3 The Blood Forest**

"…Hmm…" Luca was sitting at a fair distance away from the group, in deep thought, it seemed from the rest of them. After leaving Fone Village and a day's worth of travel, the group has now stopped to take a break before carrying on with their travel towards the Kingdom of Namdiascar. "What are you doing?" Someone suddenly said, and it scared the skin out of Luca. "Aah!" he screamed, nearly toppling forward. He turned to see Vanille standing behind him. "Oh, Vanille! I was just… doing some writing…" He said, showing what he was holding on to.

Vanille looked at the writing material. "So, is that your… uh, diary?" She asked.

"Well, no." Luca said. "I've decided to make this enemy journal to put in records of the enemies and Shadows that we may encounter during the trip." Vanille nodded, looking at the few entries that he has made. "That's really good!" she said. "Then, we may not have to know what to do if we face an enemy that we've met before!"

"You think so?" Luca wondered.

"You two!" A voice shouted. Luca and Vanille turned around to see Sara calling out for them. "Van and Elazul are done, and they're waiting for you!" Luca and Vanille stood up. "Oh, alright!" They said, quickly heading back to the group. Resuming their trip, they were ready to enter a section of a forest to pass through in order to reach the Kingdom of Namdiascar. Several hours ago, they had reached a route that would have took them less time to travel, but…

 **Several hours ago…**

"Huh?! The mountain trail is blocked off?!" Luca screamed. He was speaking to a Pokémon who was standing in front of the mountain trail that would have took a shorter time to travel to their destination. "Yes, dear travellers. Due to a seismic activity that occurred, most of the mountain trail has now collapsed. It is currently too dangerous for anyone to pass through." The officer explained.

"Boo boo!" Luca pouted.

"There's no problem if we take the forest route, right?" Elazul said.

"No, the forest route wasn't affected by the seismic activity." The officer replied. "But I must assure you that you must be careful when you enter there. Bandits are on the rise in the forests now since the mountain trail is blocked."

* * *

Luca was looking at his Sapphire. "No glow today…" he said, placing the gem back in his robe pockets. "Okay, let's get through the forest now and…" As he walked, he didn't notice a small projectile being fired towards him. Most of the group, but Elazul, did not notice that projectile as well. He quickly pulled his iron lance from his back, suddenly thrusting it forward to knock that projectile away from harming Luca.

"Huh?" The rest of the group's attention turned left where the projectile landed after Elazul's interception. A small knife was resting on the soil. "Who's there?" Elazul said.

"Ahh, he saw through it, it looks like!" A voice said.

"Man, and I thought that we hid ourselves very well." Another voice spoke. Appearing from behind a set of trees, there were two small figures. Based on the black bandana they had, the group realises that they are bandits.

"Who're you?" Vanille asked, reaching out for her bow.

"Black Wings." The first bandit, a Sandile, said. "The great Black Wings, we are!" The second bandit, a Pawniard, pointed towards Luca. "Eeh?!" Luca gasped. "We want that jewel he's got!" the Pawniard said.

"Who're the Black Wings?" Vanille wondered. She looked at Elazul and Luca. Both of them were prepared for battle, although Luca was moving nervously. "Either way, I think that we need to fight!" She said, grabbing an arrow. Van looked at Sara. "Sara, get behind me. And continue to hold on to my sword." He said. Sara nodded, moving behind him, dragging the broadsword with her, since it was really heavy for her.

"Ready for this, you are?" The Sandile bandit said. The Pawniard bandit readied a stance. "Because here we come!" The Sandile began by jumping towards Elazul, and attempting to cut him with the knife that he was biting on. Elazul easily dodges that attack, and focuses his attention towards the Sandile. Vanille grouped up with him as a support. The smaller size of the Sandile benefited him greatly, as it was harder for Elazul's lance and Vanille's arrows to land on him.

Now, for the rest of the group, Luca was practically in the same situation yesterday: him being attacked and unable to retaliate at all. Van's movements were greatly restricted because of Luca's Bind spell, and he could only respond with kicking. Sara was hiding behind a tree, since she couldn't use the broadsword because of its' heavy mass. Van observed the situation, and made a low sweep on the Pawniard's legs, causing him to fall on his back. With the small moment ready, he faced Luca.

"Hey, Luca!" Van said. "Release those binds around me!"

"Huh?!" Luca said.

"You're useless in battle without a physical ally to help you! And now your friend, Elazul, is in a separate battle! I'm the only option left." He turned to face Sara. "Sara! Swing my sword around and throw it to me!" Sara looked surprised, but she responded with: "Okay!" She started to spin around, trying to gain some momentum to lift the sword off from the ground. Van looked at the Pawniard, who was getting up from the fall.

"O-Okay… Release!" Luca said, pointing his staff to Van. Instantly, all of the bindings holding Van disappeared. Van could finally move his whole body freely. "Van!" Sara said, using all of her might to throw the broadsword in the air. It was a comparative distance above the ground, as it was nearing over Van and Luca.

"That was a dirty move!" The Pawniard said, now standing up. "But I'm going to win in the end!" He quickly made a charge towards Van and Luca. As the sword was above him, Van quickly grabbed the hilt, swinging the broadsword down. The Pawniard manages to catch sight of this action and backed off to avoid the attack. "That's it! Rioting electricity! Lightning!" Luca shouted, a sudden bolt of lightning appearing and diving at the Pawniard.

"Whoops!" The Pawniard said, evading the lightning bolt. "Whoa, they're tough!" he said, regaining his balance.

"P-Pretty good, you people are…" The Sandile said, panting from the movements. Regrouping, the bandits stood close to each other. "Okay! Let's end this right now with our secret attack!" The bandits shouted.

"Boys, that's enough." A voice spoke, and mere seconds after those words, daggers suddenly landed on the ground, right in front of the two bandits. When they looked at the daggers in front of them, the bandits gulped, facing the direction where the daggers were thrown from. This prompted the group to face that same direction, looking up towards one of the trees. Everyone was now looking at a Weavile, with several knives held on her left hand. "Now, what're you doing?" She said, jumping off the tree and landing beside the bandits. "Steel, Dice. You aren't spreading lies again, aren't you?"

"Uhh, umm…" The bandits stuttered. "Well…" The Weavile shook her head in response, sighing. "The 'Dark Wings' aren't that bad, remember? We steal. Just to give to the poor. And this group has nothing of any value that could help the poor."

"'Dark Wings'? They said they were from the Black Wings!" Luca said. The Weavile faced Luca. "They did?" She said, and faced the bandits again. "Now, you two have some explaining to do."

"H-Hold on, Mellissa!" The bandit on the left said. "S-Steel's idea, it was!" He said, pointing to the other bandit.

"What?! The moment you caught the gems on your eye, you suggested that we take them!" The other bandit, now known as Steel, countered. The Weaville, named Mellissa, looked intrigued. "Gems? Hmm…" she scratched her chin. Finally, after a couple of minutes' worth of inactivity, Mellissa faced the group. "I'm sorry, darlings. As their leader, I'm taking full responsibility for their actions. Now, my boys here'll be apologizing, right?" she said, turning back to face the duo.

"Uhh…umm… We're really sorry…" Steel spoke weakly.

"…Really sorry, we are…" Dice said.

"…For?" Mellissa said.

"…For lying about our status… and trying to take your gems…" The duo finished. Mellissa gave a smile. "Good. Now, let us be off before more those earthquakes come from the forest of red." She said, walking away.

"Wait a minute." Sara said. "You said that the three of you are thieves… but what are you doing?" Mellissa did not face Sara, but answers her question. "There are many thieves out there. Mine focuses on taking from the wealthy, and passing the treasures we find to the poor." With those words, Mellissa dashed away from the group.

"Hey, wait for us!" Steel shouted.

"Leave us behind, you always did!" Dice said, the two trying to catch up to their leader.

"I don't believe that thieves do this…" Luca said, watching the Dark Wings disappear from their side. Vanille looked at them curiously before she recalled something that no has answered yet. "So, does anyone know what is 'Black Wings'?" she asked.

"I heard from rumours, that the Black Wings are a big crime organisation." Elazul said. "This group has done many evil deeds. Stealing, assassination, you name it. Whatever crime there was, they were able to perform it with efficiency. Many lives were already taken by this organisation…"

"What?!" Vanille gasped. "Then, why aren't they stopped yet?! Can't anyone do something against them?"

"But even if they could…" Luca said. "It's still impossible to stop them. If they tried… they would be killed by this mysterious leader of the Black Wings. As of this day, we still don't know who the leader is or what species it is either… and anyone who would have known the leader's identity didn't last long enough to tell the tale…" He clutched his staff harder on the last words.

"Anyway, we've wasted some time here." Elazul said. "Let's bring Van to the capital and convince the city that he isn't bad."

"But it is getting late…" Sara said. "We should camp out here."

"There's no need for that." Elazul said. "I've been in this forest before during a request I took. There's a rest stop just further over here. We can spend the night there."

With Elazul's directions, the group has made it to the rest stop Elazul spoke off. By then, the sun was setting. Luca gave a yawn. "Finally… so… sleepy…" he said, falling on the ground. Elazul began to grumble, heading over to Luca, carrying the sleeping Mage into the building. Vanille, Van and Sara followed Elazul to get some sleep as well.

* * *

On the next morning, the group were now having their breakfast. Luca was having a sandwich, Vanille and Sara took croissants, Van had a salad, and Elazul was eating a slice of toast. So far, no one has said anything yet. The silence was somehow useful, as Elazul could hear a conversation from a table from some distance away from them.

"The seismic activity's growing."

"Yes, I guess so. Looks like that the epicentre is coming from Blood Forest."

"Blood Forest? But that place is too dangerous!"

"Speaking of that place, rumours says that travellers who pass through there may hear some sort of sound. Actually, a melody. But no one has been able to investigate because of the belief of haunting spirits there. They thought that the melody belongs to a ghost."

"…Hey." Elazul said.

"Hmm?" The others respond.

"Let's pass through Blood Forest."

"B-Blood F-Forest?!" Luca shrieked. "That's the most haunted, scariest place in the woods!" Vanille looked at Luca's fearful face. "What is the Blood Forest?" she asked Luca. Van looked at her. "I've heard of this forest. It is said that the whole section of Blood Forest is red as compared to the other forests." Van said. "Also, some unfortunate travellers who pass by this forest…"

"…Are found with blood drenched all over them!" Luca screamed. "Aaah! That's really, really, absolutely, scary! That place is haunted with gh-gh-ghosts!"

"That's just a myth." Elazul said. "I can assure you that there are no ghosts."

"Huh? Are you scared of ghosts?" Vanille asked Luca.

"Y-Yes! They're scary!" Luca said. "Too scary! I'm frightened of them!"

"…I see a ghost behind you." Elazul said. Luca's reaction was to immediately shriek in a loud voice, practically jumping off from his seat, and was scampering around on the floor the moment he landed. "That's a mean trick, Elazul!" Vanille said, staring at the wyvern. She faced over to Luca, who was still in a state of terror, running all around the building. "It's okay, Luca! There aren't any ghosts in here!"

"AAH! GHOSTS! SCARY!" Luca continued to scream, not hearing anyone else' words, but his. Soon, his panic caused him to crash into someone. "Ow!" Immediately, Luca managed to stop his panic to face the one he bumped on. "Oh, sorry!" He apologized, facing a green hedgehog, known as a Chespin, rubbing his behind and several scattered fruits and a basket in front of him.

"Owow…" The Chespin said, looking at the scattered fruit. "Ah! Gotta get these up!" He exclaimed, hastily grabbing all of the scattered fruit and carrying the basket. "Okay! Got to bring these to him! Man, is he rather impatient when he is in Blood Forest…"

"B-Blood Forest?!" Luca shouted. It was then the Chespin took notice of Luca's presence and faced him. "B-But there are ghosts in there! You shouldn't head there!" The Chespin looked at him weirdly. "I-I'm not supposed to socialize with people I've never seen before!" The hedgehog shouts. "Anyway, whatever you do, don't head into Blood Forest! If you wanna continue on living, that is!" With those words, the Chespin took off from the rest stop.

"Now, I am really curious." Vanille said, the group heading over to Luca. "This makes me want to head into Blood Forest!"

"B-But! There're ghosts in there!" Luca said. "I'm deadly frightened of them!"

"I already said that there are no ghosts." Elazul said.

" _He's right… there aren't any ghosts…"_

The group's attention turned to face the entrance. A gray and pink sprite floated from the doors, but everyone could see that there were several wounds all over the sprite. "H-Hey! You're…!" Luca said.

"You're hurt!" Sara said.

"No… I'm alrigh…" The sprite says, before collapsing on the floor. Now, everyone present in the rest stop headed over to get medical attention for the sprite. After a half-hour, Luca and Vanille were waiting outside the medical room. Meanwhile, Van, Sara and Elazul were waiting outside of the rest stop.

"Just what could have happened…?" Vanille muttered. "Luca, who is that sprite?" Luca looks at her surprised. "You don't know abo- oh, yeah. Amnesia." Luca said. "That sprite you see is called Mespirit. She's one of the three lake guardians. I kind of envy the guardians… but meeting Mespirit, in this state…" his eyes had a look of hurt. "…Alright."

"What?"

"…Let's investigate Blood Forest." Luca told Vanille. "I think that Mespirit appeared from there… I saw a fragment of a plant that I know that grows only in Blood Forest that was caught on her body."

"But I thought you never visited that place." Vanille said.

"I don't… I spent time reading about the various areas of Niata." Luca explained.

"Oh…" Vanille said. "Let's tell the others." Luca nods. Heading outside, they told the party about heading over to Blood Forest because of Luca's decision to check it out.

"Hm. Looks like you're sucking in some courage." Elazul said.

"It's nothing like that!" Luca said. "I'm just worried that something bad could be happening over there…"

"Let's not waste time and check that place out." Van told the group. They walked a fair distance through the woods, and reached a section of the forest where the trees and leaves beyond were of the colour red. The Blood Forest. The group walked in the forest of red, looking at the surroundings. "Ah!" Luca gasped, suddenly tripping over a root. Vanille noticed this and grabbed his robes, pulling him back to standing positon. "O-Oh, thanks…!" Luca said.

Van suddenly clutched his chest, making a small groan. Sara quickly notices it. "Van? What's wrong?" Van opened his eyes, taking a breath. "I feel that something… an evil presence… I think I can track it…" he said. "That might be a clue towards the cases of earthquakes." The other three started to think. Right now, they don't have any leads… so trusting Van was now the only choice that they could rely on. "Okay."

Van nodded. "Alright. Follow me." The trip took a rational amount of time with Van's senses. He had to stop momentarily to feel that evil presence, then he would continue on moving. Everyone kept close to him as to make sure they don't get separated.

"How much further?" Elazul said, after an hour has passed. Van had stopped walking. "Hmm… let me concentrate again…"

"Ah!" Luca said.

"Don't tell me you tripped again…" Elazul said.

"No, look over there!" Luca said with a louder voice. Everyone turned their heads to where Luca was facing. They could see a lake in front of them. There was a tree in the center of the lake brimming with life. But when Luca jumped off from a ledge and the group followed him, they could see that all of the trees around them were withering. Van bent down and touched the floor. "…There's no doubt about it… This evil presence is the cause of this."

Luca looked at the central tree. "I don't get it…" he said, advancing slowly towards it. When he took another step, black figures suddenly sprung out from the ground, all of them attacking Luca. "EYAGH!" Luca screamed, then the Shadows disappeared when they were taken down with Van's broadsword and Elazul's lance. "They're here as well?!" Van shouted.

"More are coming!" Vanille screamed, as the ground started to sprout Shadows all around them. The five gathered together as they watched an army of Shadows circling around them. Luca pulled out his staff and Vanille grabbed her bow. The battle was long, as no matter how many Shadows they took down, more Shadows just appeared in place of the defeated ones.

"We aren't making any progress!" Luca shouted, crushing an enemy with Stone Blast. "They just keep coming! I'm running out of energy to cast my spells…"

"Damm it!" Van slashed a Shadow, and then another. "What are we supposed to do!?" he yelled. He kept on shielding all of the attacks that would target Sara.

Everyone continued to retreat from the Shadows until they bumped into each other. "We really are cornered!" Luca said.

Then, a melody was heard through the forest.

"Here's my new piece! The sound resonates to the audience, and it's curtains for you! Blood Entangler!"

A strange circle suddenly appeared and surrounded all of the Shadows. "What is that?" Sara said. The group suddenly realised that the Shadows are all immobilized by this circle. Then, a big wave of energy blasted out from the circle, vaporizing all of the Shadows at once. Soon the circle vanished. The group were stunned; every single Shadow was now gone from the battlefield.

"Whoa…" Sara said.

"What an attack!" Luca said.

"Are you okay?" A voice inquired.

 **Chapter 3 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Lancer (One who has mastered the use of a spear)**

 **Weapon: Iron Lance**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Klutz** **(Countless miracles comes naturally. But is it okay to break a classroom?)**

 **Weapon: Wooden Staff**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Amnesiac (I don't know who I am…)**

 **Weapon: Bow**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Survivor (One of the only survivors from Fone Village raid)**

 **Weapon: Broadsword**

 **Sara Chrysalia (Mincinno) – Survivor (One of the only survivors from Fone Village raid)**

 **Who has expected less for the 'Dark Wings' scene? Bandits don't have to be all bad, is what I think…**

 **I'm also happy to announce the first Mystic Arte of this story introduced here! Used by the saviour of the group. Who says that the first Mystic Arte used must be introduced from the earliest main characters? (Take Lloyd Irving (Tales of Symphonia) for example: his Falcon's Crest was only available near the end of the story.) My excitement is increased; I'll be writing up a Linked Mystic Arte in the chapter! Yes, it's early, isn't it?**

 **Skit: What's your Hobby?**

 **Vanille: "Umm, I was wondering… for all of you, what do you your hobbies to be?"**

 **Luca, Elazul, Van & Sara: "!"**

 **Vanille: "I know we just met, but I wanted to know what's everyone interested in."**

 **Sara: "My hobby is gardening."**

 **Van: "Mine is now practicing my broadsword skills."**

 **Luca: (grins) "And my hobby is reading!"**

 **Vanille: "That's some good hobbies! Now, Elazul…" (notices that Elazul is gone.) "Elazul? Where did he go?"**

 **Luca: (nervous smile) "That's his hobby, getting out of 'meaningless' conversations…"**

 **Vanille: (sad face) "Is that even a hobby…?"**


	5. Chapter 4:Birth of a Link

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 4 Birth of a Link**

"Are you okay?" the voice asks. It belonged to a green and slim serpent-like creature with a cream underbelly. A yellow V-shaped 'collar' extruded from his neck. His limbs were small, and this included two green arms. Two leaf-shaped features grew on his back, and the tail had three similar-looking 'leaves'. For his size, he was comparatively similar to Luca's height. Finally, he had a green triangular-shaped hat resting on his head that had red eyes. He was sheathing a strange-looking weapon at where a leather strap was tied around his midriff as he walked towards them.

"Y-Yeah!" Luca was the first to speak. "Thanks a lot, Servine!"

"My pleasure." Servine said, giving a small bow. He rose up, resting a vine on his head. "But I thought Ban had already warned everyone… So, why are you here?"

"Well, umm…" Vanille began, but before she continued to speak, a voice was heard. From Servine's direction, a second Pokémon hurriedly ran, revealing himself to be a Chespin.

"Nii-san!" Chespin said. "Don't run off like that! I- huh?" He took notice of Luca, who had a surprised look when he saw Chespin. The both of them pointed at the other. "I know you!" They said.

"Oh, you met these people?" Servine asked Chespin.

"Not exactly all of them, the Mage crashed onto me." Chespin explained. He faced Luca.

"I already told you not to go! So, why did you come here?" Chespin asked Luca.

"As I was saying…" Vanille said. The group explained what happened before they entered Blood Forest. The two's expressions were surprised, and then shocked to hear about Mespirit.

"So, that was Mespirit!" Servine said. "And you saved her? That's wonderful!"

"Yeah! What I wouldn't give to rescue a Lake Guardian…" Chespin said.

"Okay, we talked about why we're here." Elazul said. "Now, tell us about all of Blood Forest." Servine and Chespin looked at each other, before Chespin began to speak.

"See that tree over there?" Chespin said, pointing towards the tree at the center of the lake. "This forest has been blessed by the goddess, Yggdrasil… Everyone has always felt the divine protection of Yggdrasil. But… about a month ago, we felt something weird… an ominous feeling. It was then, we encountered those black blobs during our investigation. But thanks to my Nii-san, he managed to defeat those things. Afterwards, we decided to split up. Nii-san would check through the forest to find anything suspicious, and I would head to the rest stop to warn everyone not to go to the forest, and even spread rumours about the place being haunted by ghosts."

"Although, they wouldn't heed the warning and enter Blood Forest, anyway… Most of them were felled by those fiends… I encountered a sprite during reconnaissance, who was actually Mespirit, and managed to save her from those terrible abyss fiends… It was no doubt that she engaged in combat against those fiends. It was fortunate for me to arrive on the nick of time." Servine said.

"Those 'black blobs' or 'fiends' are called Shadows." Van said. "They are manifestations of fallen souls that failed to make it to the afterlife…"

"Shadows…" Servine said. "I recalled something: I started to realise that more… Shadows, are appearing as the death toll in Blood Forest increased. I made a conclusion that something must be happening to the great tree herself. I tried to investigate through the deeper parts of Blood Forest, but it was too much for me alone to handle. Yggdrasil's sapling is in danger here."

"…We need to do something fast…" Chespin said sadly. "Or Blood Forest will become the Massacre Forest…"

The group went silent, taking in all of the information that was given to them. Van's head rose up. "Let's keep heading further. I know that the presence has not ended even after those Shadows were defeated just now." This surprised both Servine and Chespin.

"…Please, I appreciate your concern, but this place is still too dangerous." Servine said. "I think that all of you should leave right now."

"No way!" Luca said. "If this place becomes too dangerous for travellers to pass through, then what will happen?! I don't want to know, so I want to stop whatever's causing this!"

"Luca's right!" Vanille said. "I want to stop whatever's happening here as well or my name isn't Cloudia Vanille!"

"Yeah. Count me in as well." Van said. "The Shadows need to be stopped here."

"I'll try to help as much as I can!" Sara said.

"…Fine. I'll help." Elazul said.

Servine and Chespin were surprised to see such determination coming from the group. Chespin faced Servine. "Nii-san?"

"Alright. If all of you managed to hold of that amount of Shadows before I arrived, then the fighting skills of your team must be impressive. By the way, my name is Arturo Carpaice. I'm a poet. I prefer to be called Nature's poet, though." Servine says.

"And my name's Ban Carpaice! I'm the younger brother of Arturo." Chespin said. He turned to Arturo. "Nii-san, I'm going to stay close to the tree, alright? Besides, I don't think that Shadows will appear here for now…"

"Okay, Ban." Arturo said. "But if you see the first sign of trouble, head over to my side."

"Will do!"

* * *

"Once we reach the 'Elder Grotto', all of you need to keep your guard." Arturo said, the group walking behind him as he directed them to said place. The Elder Grotto was a vast maze of leaves located in a deeper area of the Blood Forest. "Hey, Arturo." Luca said. "I was wondering. What is that weapon you're holding on to?" Arturo turns around to face Luca. "Oh, you mean my Sword Lute?" He said, grabbing his weapon and pulling it out for the group to see it fully. It is a sword, although significantly smaller that Van's broadsword. So, it was a shortsword. Interestingly, there were visible strings that attached from the hilt of the sword to the tip of the metal edge that accompanied it.

"Wow, it looks amazing!" Vanille said.

"Thank you." Arturo said. "As its name suggests, not only could it be used as a sword for physical combat, it serves as a musical instrument. I use it whenever I needed to. In addition, if I play certain tunes, the music seems to strengthen whoever are my current allies." He began to strum some of the strings on the sword lute. The tune was serene, as it eased everyone's worries. Arturo gave a soft hum, synchronising with the music.

"Aah, that was nice." Arturo concluded, as he stopped playing his tune.

"Wow, that was really good!" Luca commented.

"Yeah, that was nice music!" Vanille added.

"I would like your comments, but now, I believe that we have arrived at the Elder Grotto." Arturo said, pointing forward. In front of them, was a wall of leaves. There was a small opening through the middle. No doubt that it led into the inner areas of Elder Grotto. "I will repeat this again: Be on your guard now." Arturo said. He moved through the opening between the leaves, everyone followed him through the wall of leaves one by one: Van having to be careful not to let his tail flame make contact with the leaves. Eventually, the group made it through the other side of the hedge. They were now in a large room. Two diagonal pathways expanded their reach to deeper areas of the dungeon.

 _ **Elder Grotto**_

"Ah, Luca." Arturo said.

"Hmm, yes?" Luca asked.

"I believe that there should be a stronger weapon for you here…" Arturo said. "Follow me, everyone." He led them to the right pathway, soon entering another room. At the center of the room, a chest laid on the grassy floor. "Open it." Arturo said. Luca nodded, walking to the chest and opening it. He looked inside the chest, grabbing a staff similar-looking to his.

"An Oak Staff…" Luca said. He gave a few swings. "Yep, it's lighter than my staff, and easier to move around with it." He faced the wall of the room. "Aqua Edge!" He cast the water spell to release water blades. The spell moved faster than before, and when it hit the wall, made a greater hole. "Woah! It's good for spells as well!"

"I'm glad it suits you." Arturo said.

"Thanks a lot, Arturo!"

"Now can we stop talking and head over to whatever we're supposed to find?" Elazul questioned.

* * *

"Huff… Huff…"

"Luca? Are you alright?" Vanille asked. They had traversed through the rooms of the Grotto, encountering plenty of Shadows. Luca had cast his spells continuously, and now he has barely any energy to conjure a spell now. Now, they were in a room where there weren't any Shadows. "Maybe you should eat this." She took out a small semi-circle shaped item. It was coloured orange. "I think it was called a Gel, or something. Maybe this will help you rejuvenate your lost energy to cast spells." Luca looks at the Gel, and threw it in his mouth. It tasted nice, and he also felt some energy filling him after he finished the Gel. "I feel much better!" Luca said.

"So, that's why you can't proceed any further." Elazul said. "You needed more people." Him, Arturo, Van and Sara were gathered, looking at a pattern in front of them. Arturo nodded. "Yes, I need to press the panels on the floor in a sequence. But I would always run out of time."

"So, we just have to step on the panels." Van said. The group spread to the corners of the room, standing in front of a panel that Arturo described to them and the sequence that they have to follow. "Ready?" Arturo asked. Elazul, Van and Sara nodded. "Okay!" Arturo stepped on his panel, followed by Sara, Van and Elazul. A clicking sound was heard. A passageway appeared from the wall, enabling further progress for them. "Okay, we'll be reaching the final room." Arturo said, leading the group through the passageway, seeing a closed door with vines snaring the door completely. "Ngh?!" Van suddenly clutched his chest. Everyone looked at him in shock.

"…I got a really bad vibe through this door… The cause must be in that room!" Van said. Arturo grabbed his sword lute. "This door can only be opened by a melody that I can play. Is everyone ready?"

"Yes." Everyone said. Van faced Sara. "Please stay here." Sara nodded. "Alright."

"Okay." Arturo started to play a soft sound. It sounded different than the one he previously played. As the song continued, the vines snaring the door slid into the ground and walls. The door creaked open as the melody ended. The group hurriedly entered the final room. The first thing they saw was a giant structure. It looked like a rock of some kind, but it was emanating a dangerous feeling. Behind that structure, was a sapling of Yggdrasil. It was still a large tree though.

"What is that?!" Vanille said.

"I've never seen this thing before!" Arturo added.

"Everyone…!" Van said. "This thing must be the direct cause of the Shadows!" They felt a sudden earthquake, and it came from the structure. "That is causing the seismic activities as well?! Wait… Something's coming!" In front of them, a black mist that began to form started to merge slowly. It began to take shape of a giant tree. It was black all over from head to toe, and wisps of black smoke continuously left its' entire body.

"Whoa!" Luca said. "That looks like… a Trevenant… but something's wrong…!"

"I don't sense any life from it at all…" Van said. "This could be a manifestation of Shadows! Everyone! We need to defeat it if we want to handle that… rock…!"

"Alright, Inspect Magic!" Luca said. An image of the creature started to form in front of Luca's eyes. Then, words formed rapidly beside the creature's image. "Okay… Negative Plant. Size: Large. Strengths: Water. Weaknesses: Fire, Wind. Description: A being created via the Shadows' control over the lost souls throughout a forest… be careful if it starts to charge towards you. Just dodge it, and attack from behind!" Luca explained to the party. The Negative Plant swung an arm, sending it towards the party. Everyone gave a shout moving away from the attack. Then, it noticed Van right in front of it.

"Crescent Strike!" Van gave an upward curve at the Negative Plant. Before he landed, he swung his broadsword with more speed. "Dual Crescent Strike!" He lifted himself again, making two more upward curves on the Negative Plant. He released his right hand from the broadsword when he landed on the ground. "Not yet! Fang Blade Rage!" This time, he made one downward slash, and with his free hand, he thrust it towards the plant with a sudden force. Quickly swirling around, he grabbed his blade with both hands now and made an upward swing, now knocking down the plant. "Alright, now attack, everyone!" Van shouted, swinging his sword to slash the downed Negative Plant. Elazul headed near to attack with Sonic Thrust, and Lightning Sonic Thrust and continued with normal jabs. Vanille shot arrows from afar, especially using Hell Pyre on it. Arturo got close to the Negative Plant, using normal attacks. Luca stood further than anyone else, chanting his spell. "Alright, we got this! Ti-" Elazul heard the first syllable before shouting at Luca and turning away from the Negative Plant. "DON'T USE THAT!" He yelled.

"Ah!" Luca gasped.

"It's getting up!" Van said. The creature recovered from its' fall, standing up and swinging its' arm. Van stepped back to avoid the blow. Elazul, who had less time to react, got struck by the attack. "Ah! Elazul!" Luca shouted. Then, he gasped as he spotted seeds up in the air. He quickly moved out of the way, avoiding the seeds. The seeds made contact with the ground and made a small explosion. Then, he realised that more seeds were heading towards him. He couldn't cast a spell to deflect the seeds nor run this time. He felt someone grab him and pull him away just before the seeds touched him. He looked at his saviour, Arturo. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"That thing's really strong!" Luca said.

"Hey, Luca!" Arturo said. "I have an idea!"

"Huh?" Luca said.

"We just have to do this…" Arturo said as he explained his plan to Luca. Luca gave an uncertain look. "But are you sure that this will work?"

"Honestly, I have no idea! But it's a good option!" Arturo said. They heard a sudden shout and saw Van rolling on the ground, then Elazul crashing at a tree. "Alright, then!" Arturo said, running towards the creature. Luca quickly stood up, preparing spells. "Vanille! Shoot anything that comes towards Luca!" Arturo said, passing by the Hunter. The creature gave a shout, sending multiple seeds. Arturo made a frontal flip, evading a few seeds, then made a sidestep, avoiding another. He swung his sword lute, knocking the rest of the seeds away. Vanille drew multiple arrows towards the seeds headed to Luca, causing them to explode before they could deal harm.

"Here it comes!" Luca shouted, twirling his staff, sending magic to Arturo's sword, granting the elements of fire, water, wind and earth.

"Dance in fire!" Arturo lunged at the Negative Plant, sending a circle of fire. "Now, let the water crash down!" Swirling around, he made a horizontal slice, sending water from the ground to attack it. "Face the tremors!" Arturo now made a downward slice, summoning rocks from above to rain down on the plant. "And now experience the shredding gale!" He leaped up while making an upward slice. This caused wind to suddenly appear around the Negative Plant, cutting it continuously.

"The finale arrives!" Luca said, sending his four primary elemental spells once again to Arturo's sword lute, giving brilliant shines of four as they swirled around the weapon. Arturo gripped his sword lute, swinging it down towards the Negative Plant as he descended.

"Elemental Symphony!" Arturo and Luca said together. When Arturo's sword lute hit the Negative Plant, the four elements surrounding his weapon shot and latched on the ground around the Negative Plant as magic circles. Then, lines appeared and linked to the four magic circles. A grand pillar of light burst out from the ground, severely damaging the Negative Plant.

Arturo's eyes rose up, grabbing his sword lute into a playing position. "Their hold must be weakened, foul fiends, begone!" He strummed the lute, filling the room with a strange melody. Right in front of their eyes, everyone saw through the dying pillar of light, the darkness that was disappearing revealed something from beneath it. The great stone structure that was near the tree started to crack, before crumbling down on the ground. When that happened, all of the darkness had evaporated. Standing in front of the group, was an exhausted Trevanant, collapsing near a tree.

"There was another Pokémon through that Shadows?!" Luca and Vanille gasped.

"I don't understand." Van said, getting up slowly. "What was that?" Arturo knelt near the Trevanant. "Great Elder. Are you alright?" Arturo said.

"Arrgh… my back…" The Trevanant started to spoke, as an eye lit up from its' head. "Ah! Where are those little…! Don't even know how to respect an elder…! Hm? Arturo?! What are you doing here?"

"Calm down, Great Elder!" Arturo said, explaining to the Trevanant what had happened to this point. Van had left the room and brought Sara in the room.

"…Oh… I have failed as a protector of Yggdrasil…" The Great Elder spoke, crafting a walking stick from the tree he laid on. He pointed towards Yggdrasil. The group took a closer look, now what was visible was a deep gash through a root of the great tree.

'It happened about a month ago… Some strange Pokémon arrived at this room. All of them had their faces concealed and had a black cloak in addition. I couldn't tell what species they were… I told them to leave, but they never listened. Then, this top gun of theirs arrived and blasted me with a spell! I didn't know what happened after that… But to think that I was being used to fight against all of you…!" The Great Elder said.

"Black coats…" Luca said. "Elazul! Do you think that it could be the work of the Black Wings?!"

Elazul said nothing, looking at the gash through the root. This must definitely be done by the invaders who have visited this place earlier. But that rock-like structure they saw earlier? He was sure that it could have never been done by just the Shadows. It was more like… producing Shadows. Were the Black Wings that powerful?

"Anyway, we need to heal Yggdrasil!" Vanille said, raising her palms. "Heal!" Green energy circled around the root from Vanille's palms. The vegetation around the root were restored slowly, but there was no change in the gash of the root. "It's not working!" Sara said. Vanille stopped using her Heal. "Why…?"

"Yggdrasil is a magical tree… It can't be restored by mere healing magic…" The Great Elder explained. "Even with my power, it is barely enough to repair the damage done to Yggdrasil…"

"So you're saying is that… unless we find a source to recover Yggdrasil to its' former state…" Van said.

"…We can't do anything about it?!" Luca shouted. "No way! In every situation, there's always a solution! Think, Luca, think!" He paced back and forth, whacking his head in hopes of an epiphany.

" _Tue rei ze croa riou te ze."_

" _Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze."_

A song started to be heard in this room. Luca stopped pacing and looked at Arturo. But he wasn't holding his sword lute. He was looking at a direction, just like the Great Elder in front of Luca and Van near Luca. Now, his head followed where everyone was looking at. It was coming from Vanille. She was singing. Then, they noticed the gash through the root. It was closing up as Vanille sang. "Ah! The root's healing!" Sara said. Soon, after her words, the wound has completely closed up. Vanille had stopped singing afterwards.

"Va… Vanille!" Luca said. "You did it! You healed Yggdrasil!" His face became from overjoyed to sudden surprise as Vanille started to close her eyes, falling backwards. Elazul, who was behind her, quickly caught her with his wings. "Vanille?!" Luca said, hurrying over to Vanille's side.

"It looks like she passed out." Elazul said. He looked at Luca, whose face was filled with worry. "Don't worry. I think she'll come back to us soon." He told Luca.

"But that song…" The Great Elder spoke.

"Is part of the Fonic Hymn!" Arturo said.

"Fonic Hymn… a rare melody that hadn't been heard for ages… No one has been able to record its' lyrics…" Luca said. He was familiar with the term, Fonic Hymn. Never has he thought that someone would know how to sing it. "We still managed to resolve this problem at hand." Van said. "Now, I think we can go back."

"But I don't want to travel through the whole dungeon again to find the exit!" Sara said.

The Great Elder tapped his walking stick on the ground. In front of the group, a portal was created, displaying an image of the sprout of Yggdrasil at the lake. "This will take you back there. Thank you, young ones." The party walked in one by one, leaving the dungeon. As the portal began to close after the last party member entered it, the Great Elder looked at the brimming life of Yggdrasil. "Great goddess… This forest will remain cleansed of all evil… On my soul, I won't let this mistake happen again…"

* * *

"Nii-san!" Ban said, overjoyed to see his elder brother's return, and giving Arturo a hug. "Look! The great tree's back to life!" He smiled, looking at the tree at the lake. He faced the party. "All of you, thanks for helping my Nii-san save Yggdrasil!"

"Yes, all of you have done excellently..." A voice spoke. Mespirit appeared from a section of the forest, now fully clean of any wounds.

"Mespirit!" Luca said.

"You're all right!" Sara said.

"Vanille's waking up." Elazul said, looking at Vanille's face move as she started to regain consciousness. "Uhh…" Vanille rose her head up slightly. She looked around, soon standing still. "…What happened…?" Her head rose up is surprise. "That's right! What about Yggdrasil!?"

"Don't worry!" Luca said. "You healed the tree! Don't you remember?" Vanille looked at him, surprised. "Uh… you DO remember that, right?" he asked. Vanille looked down. "…I did that? But no, I don't remember anything else after you started to pace around…" Her head drifted away, now noticing Mespirit. "Mespirit! You're back to normal!" she said.

"Yes. It looks like the Blood Forest is now safe…" Mespirit said.

Luca puffed out his chest proudly. "Well, what do you think of us? Anyway, we got to continue on towards the Kingdom of Namdiascar!" he said.

"I'm heading there as well." Mespirit said. "So, you wouldn't mind if I would follow you?"

"Of course we wouldn't mind! We've got a lake guardian following us!" Then, Luca noticed Arturo walking towards him after a discussion with Ban. "Okay. Now that Blood Forest has returned to normal, perhaps I could join your party? A trip around other continents would benefit me as I seek to be a great poet."

"Sure! We don't mind!" Luca said.

'…You need to stop making decisions by yourself without thinking…' Elazul thought.

"Thank you. Ban, take care of the forest while I'm gone…" Arturo said. Ban nodded, throwing something towards him. Arturo catches it, revealing the item to be an Emerald. Arturo gave a smile, latching it onto his sword lute, where an empty space was on the hilt. "Now, everyone, do you mind if I bring you to somewhere before we officially head to the Kingdom?"

* * *

Following Arturo, the group has now arrived at a glade. Flowers grew all around the vast area. Adding on with the gentle breezes, it gave a refreshing and peaceful atmosphere. Arturo walks up to the center of the glade, before closing his eyes.

"Arturo, what are you doing?" Vanille asked.

Arturo, still keeping his eyes closed, responded with: "This area is known as the 'Memorial Glade'. Folklore spoke of this place. It is said that the flowers all around you contain the memories of all living organisms, and holding it for us in a safe location. Ban and I are the only ones who believe in this, and it is true. Every time we head there, we would find the memories that we treasure, and it would remain in this place."

"So that means…! I could find out about who I am! Let me give it a try!" Vanille said. She stood beside Arturo, closing her eyes and waiting for the memories to arrive. Van and Sara made a discussion, and after a few seconds, they too headed near Arturo and closed their eyes. Elazul walked to the center of the glade as well, and closed his eyes.

"Hey! Don't leave me alone!" Luca said, running up to the center of the glade. "Ooh… what good memory will I pick up?" he said excitedly, closing his eyes.

Strangely, the memory that begins to form in his head was not familiar to him. In other words, it's not his memory, but someone else's…

 **Chapter 4 End**

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Shadow Slayer (Proof comes from experience of defeating a fair amount of Shadows.)**

 **Weapon: Iron Lance**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Klutz** **(Countless miracles comes naturally. But is it okay to break a classroom?)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Amnesiac (I don't know who I am…)**

 **Weapon: Bow**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Survivor (One of the only survivors from Fone Village raid)**

 **Weapon: Broadsword**

 **Sara Chrysalia (Mincinno) – Survivor (One of the only survivors from Fone Village raid)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Poet (Great with music. But coming up with lyrics, on the other hand…)**

 **Weapon: Sword Lute**

 **Now, meet Arturo Carpaice! He's a fine, yet, air-headed at times, poet. He's quite formal, I must say… Now, I don't need to give an explaination about Sword Lutes, which are Arturo's main weapon. They're shortswords with strings attached to them. Oh. The 'Poet' class is focused on supporting their allies by playing music to strengthen their parameters, and at the same time, they can hamper the enemy's skills.**

 **I hope that anyone here enjoyed the first linked Mystic Arte here… (Ironically, Luca can't even use a Mystic Arte until the end of the Main Arc…) Honestly, I was having trouble on who to pair Arturo with… but watching plenty of multiple elemental Mystic Artes got me this idea.**

 **Now, the sudden song that Vanille sings is the Fonic Hymn (from Tales of the Abyss). Yet, she seems to be not conscious of being able to sing it, though…**

 **Skit: A talk between guys, pt.1**

 **Arturo: "Pleased to meet you, everyone."**

 **Van: "I will say the same to everyone."**

 **Arturo: "Now, let us discuss about our weapons. Mine is a sword lute."**

 **Van: "I carry a two-handed broadsword with me."**

 **Luca: "I use a staff! And I cast spells with it!"**

 **Elazul: "… Mine's a spear. I can use it with either one-handed or two-handed styles."**

 **Arturo: "Speaking about styles, looks like your magic managed to save the day today, Luca."**

 **Luca: (grinning emotion) "Heh heh!"**

 **Elazul: "I wouldn't call it 'you'. More like Vanille did everything."**

 **Luca: "Hey! You got knocked away by that Negative Plant, didn't you?"**

 **Elazul: (angered emotion) "Only because you tried to cast that spell!"**

 **Luca: "Could I help it if it got too intense or exciting?"**

 **Elazul: "Blame yourself!"**

 **Luca: (angered emotion) "Alright, I will… HEY!"**

 **Arturo & Van: (bored emotion) "…"**

 **Elazul & Luca: "*arguing*"**

 **Arturo: "Originally, I thought we were to discuss about our weapons…"**

 **Van: (closes eyes) "It makes it feel like we're watching a lovers' quarrel…"**


	6. Chapter 5:Genesect's Awakening

**Tales of Faith**

 **Past Arc: Creation**

 **Chapter 5: Genesect's Awakening**

 _Who am I…? What am I…?_

 _I could feel something strange coursing through my entire body. A glaring light that initially blinded my sight soon dimmed. No, it was my eyes. They were adjusting. I was in a room. There were so many things… that I don't know of… and there are several Pokémon… they were called, in this room as well._

" _What is this?" My voice said. It sounded… that term was 'robotic'? It sounded strange though. All of the Pokémon in the room looked at one another, saying something. But I don't understand. Soon, I was curious. 'Who am I?' My head repeated. I lifted my hands. They were like of a cuboid shape. There were three pyramid-shaped fingers on both my hands. I looked down, everything below looked like the metal that were on my hands as well. They were all red. Come to think of it, my body felt heavy. I didn't know what to do, so I remained at my spot while looking at the rest of the Pokémon in front of me. Then, one of the Pokémon walked up in front of me._

"… _Welcome, Genesect."_

 _Genesect? Is that me? Is that what I am called?_

" _Ge…ne…sect…" I said. My voice was still robotic. And it seemed to impressed the Pokémon._

" _Intriguing… The new-born creature understands our language… This is a brilliant creature…" A Pokémon other than the one in front of me said._

 _New-born… creature… Welcome…? Was I… born?_

 _The Pokémon in front of me began to lift a hand, but the rest of the Pokémon made protests._

" _Professor! You shouldn't! That's a weapon of mass destruction!"_

 _A weapon… A weapon of mass destruction…? What is a weapon…?_

" _No, his program had been initiated. He has no influence to attack." The Pokémon that was referred as 'Professor' faced me. He continued to raise his hand, nearing me. I backed away a small distance… Why is he trying to touch me?_

" _Do not fear, Genesect. We mean no harm…" He said soothingly. I think it was out of instinct, or something, but I raised my hand as well and our hands touched. It felt strange. When I touched the hand, it felt soft. On the other hand, when his hand touched mine, it felt… rough. I don't know what else to describe of the strange thoughts in my head._

" _I told you! He has no intention to harm!" The Professor says proudly. "Really?" The other Pokémon began to crowd around me. My entire body began to feel touches, pokes from everywhere. And my hands and legs were moving around, as one touch was changed to another. It was a strange experience, having a lot of unknown Pokémon touching me like that._

" _It's a success!"_

" _The project's a success!"_

… _What's a project? Is that me? But they called me Genesect… I am so confused…_

 _The Professor started to say, "Clear off! Clear off! Give him some space!" He moved his way through the crowd, now in front of me. "Okay… Your colour is red. That reminds me of the flower… you're now my son. Your name is… Rose."_

 _Rose? Rose. Rose is my name…_

 **Chapter 5 End**

 **Current Party:**

 **Rose (Genesect *) – ?**

 **Weapon: ?**

 **After a certain major event occurs, mainly the end of a dungeon, the following chapter is the 'prelude' events way before the main story, a.k.a. Past Arc. Past Arc is split up into fragments of events. It focuses on yet another main protagonist of the story. Note: Past Arc Chapters are really short-focused.**

 **Now, introducing Rose, another main protagonist of the story. As his colour has described, he's a Shiny Genesect. The star above represents a Shiny Pokemon. His role with Luca and co. are not yet to be revealed. But he will battle side by side. The weapon of his choice… well, it's kind of shown in the next Past Arc chapter…**


	7. Chapter 6:The Kingdom of Namdiascar

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 6 The Kingdom of Namdiascar**

"Luca! Wake up!"

"Nnn…?" Luca heard the voice that woke him from his slumber, then he suddenly felt something bump and his head hit something over him. "Ah!" Luca grabbed his head, rubbing the area where his head was hit. Looking around, he saw Vanille, Sara and Mespirit in front of him. Beside him, are Arturo and Van. "Oh… Where's Elazul?" he asked.

"Elazul is sitting beside the driver of this transport, since this carriage is too small for all seven of us." Mespirit explained.

"How did we get in here?" Luca said.

"While you were sleeping, we managed to meet a traveller passing through with a vehicle. The traveller has agreed to take us to the Kingdom of Namdiascar." Sara said. Luca started to wonder when he heard 'sleeping'. He remembered being definitely tired when he reached Memorial Glade, and showed an energetic persona of his to snap him out of his daze. When he closed his eyes, he did not get any memory of his, but someone else's…

'What was that strange memory?' Luca wondered. 'Something about a Genesect or something…' He has read many books in his life, but he has never come across anything that talked about 'Genesect'…

"I forgot to say this…" Arturo said. "But should anyone sleep at Memorial Glade, they may take in memories that don't belong to them…"

"Oh…" Luca said. 'So that's why that memory got into my head…' The Politoed Mage thought. He looked out through the window, seeing plenty of carriages pass through at the opposite direction. Looking through the other window, he could see the sea in front of him. There was also a visible coast from afar. Now opening the window and sticking his head out and facing right, he could see a giant stone gate that was opened in front of them. "Oh! Everyone!" Luca said. "We're reaching the Kingdom of Namdiascar!" he said.

 _ **The Kingdom of Namdiascar, home of the Namdiascar Princess, Arche.**_

Soon, after they passed the gate, Luca left the carriage first. "Okay, does anyone need a tour of the Kingdom of Namdiascar? I know a lot about this place!" He said, as the others slowly left the carriage, except Van.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Van said. "The people think that I am dangerous, and walking around freely will bound to attract a lot of unwanted attention." Luca's head lit up in realisation. Van was right, he had forgotten all about it. The people think that Van is a ruthless combatant. "Oh, yeah… Sorry, Van… Bind!" Luca casted the spell that bound Van from moving his arms.

"Luca? You were supposed to bring Van here, right?" Vanille asked. "Does that mean once that was done, you and Elazul would be returning to your Guild?" Luca paused, then looked down. "…Yes. So, Vanille, are you returning to your Guild?" Vanille shook her head. "I'm not part of a Guild…" she said. Luca looked at her, shocked. "Huh? You're not in a Guild?" Vanille nodded. "I wanted to know… whether if I could join your Guild…?"

"Uh… Of course you can!" Luca said. "And in addition, I'll do what I can to get your memories back!"

"You will do that?" Vanille asked, surprised. Luca nodded. Vanille looked away, attempting to hide a blush forming on her face. "Thank you…" Elazul walked towards them. "Hey. Let's bring Van to the castle and the job will be done." He said. Luca sighed, but gave a nod. "Alright, now everyone, follow me!" He said, directing them through the large city, and falling down several times in the process. The Kingdom of Namdiascar is the largest city in Niata as compared to the other areas as it occupied the entire Central Island. About everything in the large city was made of stone, that gives off a medieval-like feeling. During their walk to the castle, Luca was happily chatting about the history of the Kingdom of Namdiascar, he had in fact been living there for some time before he finally headed over to the Guild he is now working at.

"So, anyway, does anyone else want to know about what I remember about the founding of Niata?" Luca said. "Oh, never mind! We've reached the castle!" Everyone else probably sighed in relief, some are already bored through Luca's extremely long and detailed talk. The giant castle at the center of the Kingdom was the Namdiascar Castle. Luca walked up to the castle, noticing two guards in front of a set of closed gates.

"I'm sorry…" The guard said. "The Princess is currently attending important business and she is unable to handle any other matter for now…" Luca looked at the closed gates. This was weird. But Arche is a princess, after all… He remembered that she used to leave the castle and practically cause a ruckus in the whole castle as they ran around, searching for her. This could be probably the reason… "But, we're here for this." Luca said, passing the job request to the guards. The guards read the request, before facing Luca. "I appreciate this… but as I said, the Princess is unable to tend to anyone else's matters for now… If you're able to apprehend the 'Berserker', then you should continue to keep an eye on him and return when the Princess is available…" The guard explained, passing the request back to Luca.

Luca walked back to the group. "They said that we should return at another time." He said. Mespirit looked at the castle. "Well… could all of you follow me for a while to somewhere? Besides, you will be able to meet the other lake guardians, or I would refer to them as my brothers." She said. Mespirit brought them down the stairs leading to the castle, and through one of the many stone pathways, leading them to a cosy inn. It was quite small as compared to the other buildings.

"Lake Purity." Mespirit said. "This is famous to my brothers. Although it is small, its' services and appearance is quite well." Mespirit first entered the inn, followed up by the party. There was barely anyone in the inn, except for a bartender operating a bar at the front, and two sprites with similar appearance to Mespirit. One of the sprites was had yellow on his head and the other had blue. "Gimme another…*hic*!" The gray and blue sprite said, wobbling around. The yellow sprite sighed. "Azelf… I think that's enough for today." He said. The blue sprite faced him. "What…? *hic*! What did you say… Uxie…? *hic*!" The blue sprite floated down and landed on the floor, soon sputtering gibberish with a slurred voice. "Oh, Arceus…" The yellow sprite facepalmed, looking at the blue sprite's state.

"Azelf's drunk again… and because he's worrying too much about me." Mespirit sighed. Her voice catches the attention of the yellow sprite, who turns to see Mespirit. A joyed face was present on the yellow sprite face, although his eyes remain closed. He quickly headed over to Mespirit. "Mespirit! I'm so glad that you've returned!"

"Yes, Uxie." Mespirit said. "The event at Blood Forest was just as you predicted… but I'm alright. Still, some unfinished business was present." She turned around to face the party. "Everyone, I would like all of you to meet Uxie. He's a Lake Guardian, and he's the eldest sibling of the trio." The yellow sprite, known as Uxie, cleared his throat before he spoke. "As Mespirit said, my name is Uxie. I'm the Lake Guardian that governs Knowledge. Mespirit governs Emotion." He said, before facing the blue sprite who was rolling around the floor and continuously sputtering gibberish out loud. "…And the drunk blue sprite is Azelf. He's the youngest of the Lake Guardians and he governs Willpower… Now, what are your names, may I ask?"

"Good evening, my name is Arturo Carpaice." Arturo said, giving a bow. "It's an honor to meet the Lake Guardians."

"I'm Van Grantieur." Van introduces himself, and faced Sara. "And this is my sister, Sara Chrysalia."

"My name is Cloudia Vanille!" Vanille said.

"I'm Luca R. Ezperanda!" Luca said, and turned towards Elazul. "And this is my partner, Elazul del Fable. We're members of the Guild in the Eastern Region!"

After the party's introduction, there seemed to be a surprised reaction from Uxie, Mespirit, and even Azelf, who made a loud snort.

"…Mespirit… why did you bring them here?" Uxie broke through the silence.

"The hour is late… So, we will talk about everything tomorrow." Mespirit said. She turned her attention to the party. "All of you deserve a rest." She looked through an address book on the counter of the bar. "Ah, there are two rooms available. You can split the group into males and females and separately sleep in a room."

"Hmm, so I could learn more about the males." Arturo said. "And share some secrets about the others..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Van said.

* * *

Later, when the moon was glowing from the skies, Luca got up from his bed. "Nnn… Can't sleep…" He mumbled, passing by the rest of the sleeping males and leaving the room. When he just left the room, he noticed Vanille leaving her room as well and heading downstairs. 'Hmm…? Vanille?' he thought, returning to the room and grabbing his robes and hat, putting them on. Afterwards, he left the room again and headed downstairs, noticing the main door closing slowly. Following the actions, Luca opened the main door as well, and saw Vanille looking at the city from the bridge in front of the inn. He headed over to her side after closing the door.

"Vanille?" Luca said.

"…Luca?" Vanille said, noticing his presence. "What're you doing up this late?"

"Well, I could ask the same to you… But I couldn't sleep." Luca said, and he suddenly shivered. "Ooh… the night's chilly…" he mumbled.

"I couldn't sleep either…" Vanille said, as she continued to look at the flowing river under the bridge.

"Oh, yeah, Vanille!" Luca said. "Back then, at the Memorial Glade, did you remember anything about your past?" Vanille shook her head. "No… I didn't get anything through the Memorial Glade…" She sighed. "Luca, what's this flower?" She asked, pointing to a set of pink flowers that rested on the bridge. Luca took a closer look on the flowers and answers, "Well, those are sakura flowers. I'm surprised that they grow in here as well."

"You mean, that these flowers grew somewhere other than this kingdom?"

"Uhh, I think it could be the hidden village of the ninjas at the Southern Isle. But as it looks like, no one has actually been able to see this village. So, I don't know…" Luca said. "Do you feel anything from this flower, Vanille?"

Vanille gave a nod. "For some reason, I've always felt that these flowers are so familiar towards me… Maybe… I liked these flowers before I suffered from amnesia?" Luca looked at her. "That's one step on finding out who you are, I would say." He said. "B-But…" he started to shiver from the cold breeze. "H-How're you fine in this cold weather…?"

"I usually went out of the buildings whenever I couldn't sleep. At first, it was really cold out there… but now, I'm completely used to this cold." Vanille said. She breathed out, her head turning around to face Luca. "Umm, Luca?" Luca continued to shiver as he rubbed his arms together to generate some heat. "Y-Yeah…?" He said. If he had teeth, they would already have been chattering under the cold weather.

Vanille didn't say anything, and shook her head. "No, it's nothing…" she said. Luca managed a nod as his entire body, despite wearing robes, was already shivering. "A-Alright… let's head back in and s-sleep…" Luca could say before mumbling about the cold.

* * *

"Everyone is all accounted for, right?" Uxie said.

The following morning, after having a hearty breakfast, the party and the Lake Guardians remained in the Lake Purity, now gathered in a fairly sized room. Van had already been released of Luca's Bind. The party and Mespirit explained to Uxie and Azelf about the events that happened in Blood Forest. The other two Lake Guardians paid close attention to every detail they said carefully.

"…And that's about it." Mespirit said.

"No way… the Shadows have returned after all…" Azelf muttered.

"…I don't understand." Arturo said. "Do you mean… that the Shadows had appeared before?"

"Well, that's one way of putting it." Van said. "I remembered reading it to a few young Pokémon before. If I remember, they appeared at least a millennium ago. Those plagues are formed from the very depths of darkness themselves. They have caused a crisis through years to come… Not a lot were able to defeat nor repel the Shadows at that time… Now they have returned… six months ago, which was the day Fone Village was raided."

"Wait, if they have appeared at about six months ago…" Azelf said. "Then, wouldn't there be a lot of places which would have already been infected by the Shadows?!"

Mespirit faced Uxie. "That reminds me… Uxie, you're supposed to be at Scientia City, right?" She asked. Uxie sighed. "…That's true. I was supposed to help some people through some research there… But I've heard about the appearance of a gang of bandits a month ago. I decided to leave the city and chase the bandits. Finding them and defeating them, I returned to Scientia City. But when I arrived, the teleportation mechanism was not working, and the defence mechanism of the city has been activated. No one could enter nor leave the city afterwards…"

"Which means that something serious must have happened here…" Azelf muttered.

"In other words, I need to return there to investigate." Uxie said, beginning to float towards the door. Luca quickly heads to his side. "Hold on, Uxie! Let us follow you!" Luca said. Uxie shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous, even for Lake Guardians. No one knows what is the cause of Scientia City's lockdown… maybe the Black Wings…"

"…Speaking of Black Wings." Elazul said. "Two months ago, when I was on a request to handle some wild monsters at the Western Sector, I encountered them snooping near Scientia City's entrance."

"What?! You saw the Black Wings?!" Azelf and Uxie shouted.

"Yeah, and cleared them up easily." Elazul said.

"But why… why would the Black Wings be near Scientia City?" Mespirit said. "Could it be… that they are linked to Scientia City's lockdown?" By then, Uxie couldn't take it any longer. "That's it! I need to return there right away!" He says, swinging the door open and leaving the room. The group left the room and sees Uxie leaving Lake Purity. Luca stared at the open door. "…Let him be. We've always been assigned to guard Niata…" Azelf said. Mespirit nodded. "Azelf is correct. I wanted to guide all of you to handle the Shadows that lurk in this world, not handle a large criminal organisation."

"But…! But…!" Luca said. "But there's no way I would stand around, doing nothing while those Black Wings have their way! I got to stop them!" He said, running out of the inn. "Luca, hold on! This is not a request!" Elazul said, dashing after Luca. Sara and Arturo quickly left the inn as well to give chase to Luca. Van and Vanille were about to leave the inn as well when Azelf and Mespirit called out to them.

"Hold on!" Azelf and Mespirit said to Van and Vanille, using their psychic abilities, they sent a set of weapons to the two, whose immediate reaction was to catch them. "This is the Protect Sword." Azelf said to Van. "It is lighter than your broadsword and will take in more durable hits when you're shielding with it." Mespirit looked at the bow passed to Vanille. "And that is a Composite Bow. The materials that made this bow is more endurable and you should be able to gain more power when you launch your arrows."

"Thank you, Lake Guardians." Van said.

"We promise to stop the Black Wings!" Vanille said, as she and Van left the inn. Azelf faced Mespirit after Van and Vanille left. "Are you sure that they can handle this? I know that their willpower is strong, but…" Mespirit gazed at the open door. "It is their feelings that made them this way… We can never change that…"

 **Chapter 6 End**

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Shadow Slayer (Proof comes from experience of defeating a fair amount of Shadows.)**

 **Weapon: Iron Lance**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Klutz** **(Countless miracles comes naturally. But is it okay to break a classroom?)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Amnesiac (I don't know who I am…)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Survivor (One of the only survivors from Fone Village raid)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword**

 **Sara Chrysalia (Mincinno) – Survivor (One of the only survivors from Fone Village raid)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Poet (Great with music. But coming up with lyrics, on the other hand…)**

 **Weapon: Sword Lute**

 **The group finally arrives at the Kingdom of Namdiascar… A peaceful city where Luca once lived in before moving to the Guild at the Eastern Region. Now, Uxie and Azelf made an appearance in this chapter. Now, the gang heads off to the Western Sector towards Scientia City. But what vile force awaits them…?!**

 **P.S.: Does anyone approve of making skits at the end of the story?**

 **Skit: Elazul's Secret**

 **Elazul: "…"**

 **Vanille: (appears) "Hey, Elazul!"**

 **Elazul: "!" (backs off)**

 **Vanille: "Hey! You're something, aren't you?" (angry face) "Let me see!" (crowds near Elazul)**

 **Elazul: (angered expression) "It's none of your business! Go away!"**

 **Vanille: "Hey, I think I got it!" (surprised face) "Oh, it's a stuffed rabbit…"**

 **Elazul: "…Give that back. I just got this when we were in the Kingdom. It's not like I got it because it was fluffy or whatsoever! It's just that… well… I…" (expression turns to embarrassed)**

 **Vanille: (giggling expression)**

 **Elazul: (resigned face) "…This will be our little secret, right?"**

 **Vanille: (Joyful expression) "Don't worry! I won't tell anyone! Ah, I want a slice of shortcake!"**

 **Elazul: "…Fine. I'll get one when we reach a shop."**

 **Vanille: "Yes! I knew you always had a soft spot for something!"**


	8. Chapter 7:Rumbling Collision

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 7 Rumbling Collision**

"Damn! Just how fast can Uxie go?!" Van gave out pants, trying to regulate his breathing. Carrying a large sword on his back didn't help on his stamina. The party had already lost sight of Uxie hours ago, and it was now sunset. Arturo gave a nod in agreement. "Yes, I believe greatly that Uxie has incredible movements… as compared to us…" he panted. They were nowhere near the floating city of Scientia City.

"…Luca, you're tired." Elazul said, sweating droplets.

"N…N…. No… I… am… not…. ti… tired…" Luca said, heaving and wheezing from continuous running.

"Elazul's right…This is too much…" Vanille gave out a gasp, in response of the exhaustion running through her. Luca gave out more wheezing and heavy breaths as he found a place to rest on. "It's… strange, …right?" Luca managed to speak as his breathing began to regulate. "Uxie's the calmest and the most collected of the Lake Guardians…" he said, finally breathing normally like the rest of the group now. "But… he completely freaked out when Elazul talked about the Black Wings… It's like that…"

"…Uxie has some connection with the Black Wings?" Vanille said. Luca nods. "Uh-huh… For him to lose all of his cool over the subject of the Black Wings… means that something terrible must have happened between him and the Black Wings."

"You're right, Luca." Sara said. "But everyone's too tired to move on, and we've lost sight of Uxie!"

Van nodded. "Sara's right. We need to rest, and right now. Anyway, where are we?" he asked, looking around his surroundings. The group took a look around, noting a large dome in front of them and several buildings around them. "I know this place, it's the Roundome Station, R.D.S for short. This is the place where there are a lot of transportation services available." Luca said. "I've heard that there's a comfortable inn just ahead of us…" He started to take steady steps as the party headed over to the inn, where they could get some rest and sleep.

* * *

"Mmph…" Luca found himself unable to sleep just like the night before. He couldn't help it; he was worried about Uxie. Ever since he enrolled in the Guild as a Mage, he has idolized Uxie and the other Lake Guardians. He would do whatever he could to be worthy as an apprentice of the Lake Guardians. His head rose from the bed, noticing that Vanille was gone from the room. 'Vanille's out again?' Luca wondered. All six party members have decided to sleep in the same room. Getting off from the bed and putting on his robes, he left the inn, wondering where Vanille has wandered off to this time. Soon, he notices Vanille near the harbour area of R.D.S, curiously looking at the objects in front of her. Walking by plenty of passer-by's, he stood beside Vanille, who noticed him.

"Luca? You can't sleep?" Vanille asked. Luca nodded. "Yeah, is it the same for you?" he asked. Vanille gave a nod, turning her head to face the ships at the harbour. "Luca, what are those?" she asked. Luca looked at the ships. "Oh? Those are ships. They transport goods along with passengers to other areas through the sea." He said, and gazed at the lighthouse at the harbour. "And that tall and cylindrical building is the lighthouse. That place is meant as a signal for ships to land when it is really dark and they can't see a thing."

"What are those?" Vanille asked, pointing to her left. Luca could see several horizontal semi-cylindrical buildings over there. "Those are hangars. They store air-related transport, like aircrafts or a blimp." Luca said, and he directed Vanille to face their back. "And that is the train station. Anyone who finds travelling long distances to be such a hassle, can take this land transport through the tracks that run through the Niata region. For this station, it can only access through the Western Sector and Southern Isle. Unfortunately, it can't reach Scientia City."

"Wow… you sure do know a lot, Luca." Vanille said. 'I'm so embarrassed that I don't even know what anything around here is called." Vanille looked back at the harbour. "Luca, who's that?" she asked, pointing towards a figure she catches from her sight. Luca looks back at the harbour and sees what Vanille was pointing at. As far as he could tell, Vanille was pointing towards a dark-furred Pokémon walking by the harbour. He is a Pokémon that Luca has never seen in his life. He wore a black shirt with a black long-sleeved jacket which had his hands tucked in the pockets. He also had black jeans with black shoes covering his lower body. He had a black top hat on his head as well, which the front was curved to cover his eyes. Luca could also spot that he had large hair, red from the top and the rest was gray and at the end, something tied it like a ponytail. "I'm not sure. But he looks like a gambler."

"Is being a gambler a good thing? Or is it bad?" Vanille asked.

"Well… a gambler's like, uh… you bet money in a game, and if you win, you get to take all of the money that was bet during the game. If you lose, the opposite happens." Luca tried to explain, not sure whether Vanille would understand though. "And, err… to coin a phrase: gambling is a bad thing."

"Oh…" Vanille said. "Should we head back to the inn?"

Luca nodded. "Yes, let's–" But before he could finish, all of the streetlamps around them suddenly went out. Not just their area, but the whole of R.D.S was shrouded in pitch-black darkness. "Wh-What happened!?" Vanille said. Luca turned around nervously. "I-I don't know, hey-whoa!" he suddenly felt tugs on his robe, and turning around, he could visibly see Vanille. "Sorry, I needed to find a way to hold you!" she said. Then, they started to hear blaring sounds through megaphones hanging from the streetlamps and buildings around them. As the blaring sounds made an end, an announcement came through from the megaphones.

" _ **Attention to all passengers, travellers, and everyone in the Roundome Station, the main energy source has been damaged, resulting in this blackout. Currently, the backup generators are working, but they will not last long. Everyone must evacuate from Roundome Station immediately before it begins to fall down to the chasm. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill! You must all evacuate at once–"**_

The announcement abruptly ends. Luca and Vanille stared at the soundless megaphones for a moment, before they were suddenly pushed around as the whole place was thrown into chaos in response to the announcement. "Aah!" Luca gave a shout as he fell backwards from the pushing. "Eyah!" Vanille gave a shout as well when some of the panicking residents pushed her, causing her to fall onto something soft. When she rose her head, she realized that she was lying on Luca. "Owow… get off me, Vanille…" He said, feeling the crushing effect from Vanille. Vanille gave out a loud gasp, getting off Luca quickly. Luca stood up slowly, and looked around them.

"I don't think that we can get to the inn to find the others…" Vanille said.

"Yeah, so I gotta signal them to tell them where we are!" Luca said, raising his staff. His staff released several flashes of light that kept on going. Soon, in amidst of the chaotic situation, Elazul, Van, Arturo and Sara appeared through the crowd. "There you are!" Elazul said. "All of us heard the announcement. So, let's leave this place now!"

* * *

After struggling through the crowd, the party manages to squeeze out of R.D.S in fifteen minutes. As they looked at the area, there was still a mass amount of Pokémon struggling to leave R.D.S. "Anyway, the announcement told us to leave or R.D.S would fall down to a chasm, does anyone have an idea what it meant?" Arturo asked. Luca faced Arturo. "You see, R.D.S is a floating city, not an actual land. At the base, magnetic power is used to lift R.D.S, well, you can guess what happens if the magnetic power is lost."

"Can't we do anything to prevent it from falling?" Sara asked Van. Van started to scratch his chin. "If I remember, there's supposed to be a power source not far from here that provides the magnetic power for R.D.S. But what was its' name again…?"

' _Luca? Luca! Can you hear me?!'_

The group looked at Luca, where the voice originated from him. He also noticed the voice coming from him, and rummaging through his robe pockets, he found an item that didn't belong to him. It was an emblem with a small crystal embedded in it. The crystal suddenly made a projection, showing Mespirit from it. "Mespirit?" The group said.

"Good. The Guardian Emblem I placed in your robes the night before is working." Mespirit said. "Azelf and I heard the news about the blackout." The projection suddenly fizzled when Azelf suddenly appeared, pushing Mespirit away from the projection. "Yeah, that's horrible! Anyway, check out the plains ahead of you, the Ravaged Plains! That's where the source of the electricity for around here is!" Azelf said. Mespirit reappeared from the projection. "We've already made attempts to tell Uxie, but he hasn't made a response at all. We're concerned for him; we think that the Black Wings could be involved! Or worse still, their leader!" Mespirit said. Then the projection started to fizzle, their images completely blur. "Mespirit! We're losing contact!" Azelf said. The two Lake Guardians spoke quickly. "You must restore the energy for the R.D.S, find Uxie an–" Their voices no longer came through from the emblem, and the images completely disappeared.

"…Let's go to Ravaged Plains." Elazul said, walking slowly towards the direction of the plains they were told to go.

* * *

The Ravaged Plains… it was a large plain that could have been comparative to the area of Blood Forest. This place has always been under an eternal cycle of lightning and thunder. No doubt that this was a treacherous place for the non-Electric Type-Pokémon. However, this serves as an advantage in order to generate electricity for the neighbouring cities.

"Look out!" Luca shouted.

"Aah!" Vanille made a jump as a lightning bolt struck down on the floor near her. Luca hurried over to her side. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Y-Yes…" Vanille said. Luca looked at the stormy sky above them. "We really got to be careful around here… that being said, Arturo is the only one in the group who's resistant to lightning, and I'm vulnerable to it…" he said, taking a few steps, before he suddenly tripped over a rock, screaming and falling on the ground. And just at that moment, a bolt of lightning appeared from above. "Lu–" Vanille couldn't say anything else as the lightning landed. However, Luca was completely unharmed. The lightning had just struck the area in front of him.

"…Is that some phenomenal luck I see from Luca?" Arturo said. "If he hadn't tripped, he could have probably been struck by the lightning."

"... That… is impossible." Elazul said.

"Ahh, that looks like I was just lucky…" Luca said, getting up.

For the next half-hour, their progress was hampered as bolt by bolt of lightning struck down from the skies. Fortunately, Arturo and Luca had several Cheri Berries to eliminate any paralysis that could have come from the lightning.

"Argh!" Elazul gave a shout as a lightning bolt struck him. He could feel the numbing effect coming from paralysis.

"This is the sixth time you got struck by lightning, Elazul." Van said, passing the wyvern a Cheri Berry. "The rest of us got hit once, but Arturo and Luca, thanks to his phenomenal luck, weren't struck by any lightning bolts."

"I wonder whether you could teach me this intriguing methods of yours." Arturo commented to Luca.

"Huh?" Luca said. Then they heard a loud sound through the plains, and it was not thunder this time. "That was a loud explosion!" Sara said, as a cloud of dust formed from afar. Luca pointed to the dust cloud. "There! Let's check it out!" He said, dashing through the plains. The group follows him, and yet, another lightning bolt landed on Elazul precisely without catching anyone else within a range.

"This nonsense has to stop…!" Elazul snarled after the lightning ended.

"The melody through these plains must really hate Elazul, but blesses Luca instead…" Arturo wondered, as he saw Luca fall down again, and the lightning bolt that followed missed Luca again just like the rest of the scenarios.

* * *

Finally reaching the site where the dust cloud formed, the party could see a lone pink skinned and white wool sheep standing in the middle of a group of Pokémon very familiar to Elazul: they wore a black cloak and their faces were concealed. The group… was the Black Wings.

"There's nowhere to run!" One Pokémon said.

"Now, just surrender and we will consider sparing some mercy on you." Another Pokémon said.

"That's won't do at all. Maybe…"

"Hey." Elazul said. "What are you doing here?" This catches the Black Wings' attention and they turned to see the party. "Mind your own business, shr- wait, I know you! You're that Noivern who obliterated us two months ago!" One of the Black Wings shouted.

"So, you still hadn't had enough from last time, did you?" Elazul said, readying his lance. "It's fine, no need for answers. I just need to release the frustration from getting struck by lightning continuously on something, and I've found that something." Luca gulped, looking at the Black Wings glaring daggers directly at Elazul. 'Just what did he do to make them so mad?!' He thought.

"Heh heh… it's not going to end like the last time…" A Black Wings said. "Our leader is with us this time! There's no way you will stand a chance!"

"Shut up!" The sheep cornered in the group shouted, suddenly swinging a sledgehammer it was holding on to around. Then, it lifted itself up from the ground. The sledgehammer generated a numerous amount of power. "Resonate, thunderous roar! Imperial Lightning!" The sheep dove down, slamming the sledgehammer on the ground, creating a large glyph around it. Sudden bolts of lightning shot up from the glyph, electrocuting all of the Black Wings, rending them unconscious. The party looked at the amount of Black Wings knocked out by that Mystic Arte. Luca headed over to the sheep. "Hey, you're a Flaffy!" He said. The Flaffy ignores him, walking slowly towards a direction.

"Huff... Huff… I've got to get there…" The Flaffy mumbled. "Guh!" It bent down, clutching a wound on its' arm. "Hold on, you're hurt!" Vanille said. The Flaffy shakes its' head. "No, this is just nothing… ngh…!"

"No… you need this! Heal!" Vanille said, casting the healing spell on the Flaffy's wound. The Flaffy stopped moving as the healing took effect on the wound. Soon afterwards, the wound closed up. The Flaffy looked at its' arm. "Thank you." It said.

"What're you doing here in this place? And what's your name?" Luca said.

"My name is Cress LaVeda. I'm a Paladin. Those Black Wings got my ally. She's an Audino, whose name is Heart Burkwood. And your names are…?" The Flaffy said. The party introduced themselves one by one (excluding Elazul, who Luca fills in for him). Cress nodded. "Alright, I will head to Fulger Spiral right away. I know that Heart's there…"

"Fulger Spiral…" Van said. "Now I remember! That's where the electricity for the cities come from! We'll be heading there as well, so would you mind if we follow you?"

"It's okay…" Cress said. "It's my fault that Heart got captured by them… and I know that I won't be able to handle them now… So, until we find Heart, I will need your help."

Through the journey to the Fulger Spiral, with Cress around, it could attract the lightning as it held the sledgehammer it used as a 'lightning rod'. The electricity was less harmful towards Cress as it could absorb the electricity, and release it through the wool.

"At least that this is safer with Cress around…" Vanille said, as Cress got struck by lightning, but fazed it off.

"Are you and Heart friends?" Luca asked Cress.

"For Heart, it is. As for me, I feel that because she saved my life, I am eternally grateful for her…" Cress said.

"Okay… A dude like you could already have a girlfriend now, I think…" But before Luca could continue, he was suddenly knocked down by Cress and he felt a foot press on him. This released a sudden shock or surprise from the party by Cress's action.

"First of all, don't call me a 'dude'." Cress said. "Second, watch what you say that agitates me or I swear I'll hit you with my sledgehammer."

"Eh?! So you're a girl?!" Luca said.

"Of course I'm a girl!" Cress shouted, lifting off her foot. "What? You thought a female couldn't be a Paladin?!" She positioned her sledgehammer, resting it slightly on her shoulder. "Okay… the Fulger Spiral shouldn't be far from here…"

"Over there! Isn't that it?" Sara said, pointing to a large structure in front of them. The structure had a large tower that had several designs around it that was like a spiral. But in front of them, a large amount of Pokémon laid in front of the Fulger Spiral.

"They're all…" Vanille said, noticing the black garbs the Pokémon were wearing. "…Black Wings members!"

"All of them… they seem to be trapped in an illusion of some sort, no… something more powerful than just a mere illusion…" Elazul said, observing the bodies of the Black Wings. None of the bodies suffered any physical wounds at all. "…Luca. Do you know of anyone who can induce such powerful hypnotic effects?"

"Um, well… I think that the Lake Guardians can do this sort of thing, but the best between the three is definitely Uxie." Luca said. "So… do you think that…"

"No doubt about it. This must definitely be Uxie's doing. He must be in that place." Elazul said.

' _Luca! Luca…'_

Luca took out the Guardian Emblem from his robes, the projection of Azelf and Mespirit appearing from the emblem. "Have you reached the Fulger Spiral?" Azelf asked. "I'm sorry that the both of us hadn't been able to finish about where in Ravaged Plains the power source was."

"Yeah, we got here just now!" Luca said. "We think that Uxie might have entered that place!"

"Okay… before all of you enter Fulger Spiral, I need to tell you that I sensed something sinister…" Mespirit said. "It's like something is distorting the interior of this place. The presence is somehow similar to the Elder Grotto in Blood Forest! All of you need to be careful! You might face the leader of the Black Wings!"

"Anyway, the time remaining for the magnetism at R.D.S is now an hour! Quickly access the Fulger Spiral and find a way to generate the energy for the R.D.S!" Azelf said.

Then the Guardian Emblem ended the projection. Mespirit and Azelf couldn't be heard.

"…Okay. We got to enter Fulger Spiral…" Luca said. The group walked towards the open entrance of the structure, all determined to resolve their situations. Elazul made a frown as his mind was set.

'Finally… The Black Wings leader… Soon… you'll pay for my brother… I swear, I'll be the one to kill you…'

 **Chapter 7 End**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Shadow Slayer (Proof comes from experience of defeating a fair amount of Shadows.)**

 **Weapon: Iron Lance (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Experienced Mage** **(A careful throughout learning of spells is a step closer to being a great mage.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff (Staff)**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Ranger (Further use of the bow has led to a more experienced grasp through the bow.)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow (Bow)**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Broadsword Novice (A user of the heavy broadsword is gradually getting closer to mastering the weapon.)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword (Broadsword)**

 **Sara Chrysalia (Mincinno) – Caring Sister ('Van should always be careful…' - Sara)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Poet (Great with music. But coming up with lyrics, on the other hand…)**

 **Weapon: Sword Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda (Flaffy) – Paladin (A knight benedict by the holy gods)**

 **Weapon: Spirus' Sledge (Sledgehammer)**

 **Now, meet another protagonist, Cress LaVeda. She's a bit of a different female, focused on objectives. Even though she's a Paladin, she has mastered the use of a sledgehammer. Now the group not only has an hour remaining before R.D.S falls, but they have to rescue Cress's ally, Heart Burkwood.**

 **Besides… what did Elazul meant? Does he harbour a grudge against the Black Wings leader?**

 **Skit: A talk between girls pt.1**

 **Vanille: "Cress, can I ask you something?"**

 **Cress: "Yes, what is it?"**

 **Vanille: "Shouldn't paladins use swords? I am surprised that you use a sledgehammer."**

 **Sara: "Yes, Vanille's right. Sledgehammers aren't the normal weapons a paladin would use."**

 **Cress: "I learnt to use this weapon the best as compared to using swords. So, I feel that this would be the ideal weapon for me."**

 **Vanille: "Okay. I think I understand now…"**

 **Sara: "Do you have any male interests?"**

 **Cress: "Male interests? I haven't thought about it since now…"**

 **Sara: "What is your type, Vanille?"**

 **Vanille: "I'm Fairy…"**

 **Sara: "I meant the type of guys you like, Vanille."**

 **Vanille: (embarrassed emotion) "Oh, that's… erm… (I want to say Luca, but…)"**

 **Sara: "Umm, Vanille?"**

 **Vanille: (surprised emotion) "Ah! I haven't thought about it either!"**

 **Cress: "…We shouldn't keep talking. We need to rescue Heart right away."**

 **Sara & Vanille: "Yes…"**


	9. Chapter 8:A Bitter Parting

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 8 A Bitter Parting**

 _ **Fulger Spiral, thriving place of lightning.**_

"Ahh…Unnh…"

An Audino wearing a large white robe slowly rose up from the floor. "…Cress? Where are you?" she wondered. "Oh… that's right… Cress and I were out and we were attacked…" Audino gazed at a pathway. "Hmm… I think that I should head through there for now…" she said to herself, walking cautiously on the pathway.

The next room that she entered was a medium-sized circular area. She could see a large stone tablet that released several bolts of electricity from her right. In front of her was another passageway, probably leading to another room. At the left, there was a set of stairs that would lead to the lower floors of this area she is in. Audino took time to examine the large stone glyph. "This place… I know where I am… this is the Fulger Spiral!" she said. "Then, if I head down, then I could leave this building!"

"Sorry to say this, but I can't let you leave just yet." A voice spoke, coming from the passageway at the left. "Who-?" Audino wondered before her head suddenly felt heavy. She tried to struggle through this sudden need of sleep, but it was useless… before she fully lost consciousness, she could hear a voice that shouted "Dhaos!"

 _ **Meanwhile, at the first layer of Fulger Spiral…**_

"So this is the interior of Fulger Spiral…" Arturo said, surprised by the relic-like appearance the building took. Lightning coursed through the walls of the structure. The group looked around their surroundings. There weren't any signs of any Black Wings members anywhere in the Fulger Spiral. "This is really strange…" Luca said. "Why aren't there any Black Wings members in the first floor?"

"There should be four main layers in Fulger Spiral." Van explained. "Once we reach the fourth layer, we will operate an elevator there to lead to the upper layer, where the control room is."

"Van, how do you know so much about this place?" Cress asked.

"I remember visiting this place once about a year ago. But I forgot its' name until you said it, Cress."

"I see…" Cress said. "Hm?! Something's coming towards us!" She grabbed her sledgehammer in and swung it on her right, obliterating the object that headed towards her, causing it to disperse into black mist. In front of them, more black blobs appeared from the ground, all familiar to the group excluding Cress.

"Shadows?!" Luca said, casting Aqua Edge on a small Shadow. It dissipates into black mist. "Wh-Why are they here?!" Vanille released several arrows from her Composite Bow that stabbed some of the larger Shadows that appeared before they were split in half by Van's Protect Sword.

"This broadsword's faster than my one…" Van said, sheathing his weapon.

"Hey! I realised that my arrows were suddenly stronger as well!" Vaniille said.

Arturo faced Van. "So, where do we go to now?" He asked.

"Don't worry about getting lost. I'll lead everyone through Fulger Spiral." Van said. "The first layer is just a solitary room. Over there are the stairs leading to the second layer." He leads them to the set of stairs at the opposite direction of the entrance. Heading to the second layer, Van suddenly raises his hand to ask them to halt.

"Shh… There are a few Shadows as well in this layer." Van said. Everyone took a slow peek from the stairs, there were several Shadows in front of them. Thankfully, all of the Shadows weren't looking at the direction of the stairs. "Slowly…" Van took careful steps towards the unsuspecting Shadows, looking in front of them unaware of anything from behind them. "…Void Tempest!" He swung his Protect Sword around in a fan motion. The Shadows, unaware of this sudden attack, were immediately sliced and dissipates into black mist. He looked around carefully. "Hmm… Alright, there aren't any other Shadows in this layer. Come here, everyone." He said, signalling the party to enter the second layer. At this layer, the path branched to a left and forward path, both leading to a set of ascending stairs.

"Go forward. The stairs will lead us to the fourth layer." Van said, directing the party to follow him to the stairs. After climbing through the stairs, they are brought to a large circular base, which there was a large amount of space through the cylindrical structure. "This is the elevator. It'll take us to the upper layer." Van looked at a set of objects, which looked like the control system for the elevator and started to operate it. He paused after a set amount of minutes.

"It's not working." Van said, facing the group. "Let's head back down and go to the third layer. At the third layer, there should be the power supply for the elevator." Following Van, they returned to the second layer and then turned right and headed to the set of stairs which led them to the third layer. It was the largest room that they had ever saw as compared to the first layer. There were giant-sized mechanisms, all exerting a feeling of electricity. Luckily, there were no Shadows present in this layer. Van looked at the colossal mechanisms that were at the walls of the room. "Hmm... the power source must be around here somewhere…" Van said. "Everyone. Let's split up and search the mechanisms. Give a shout if you think you found the power source for the elevator." All seven team members split up to examine the mechanisms. It was complicated, considering the amount of machines in the layer.

"Is this it, Van?" Cress called out suddenly to Van, who was examining a mechanism near Cress. Van walked to Cress and examined the machine. "Hm… Yes, this is the machine. But it looks like the power… ran out."

"Hmm… I think that I can release some electricity through there to activate the system." Cress said. She placed her sledgehammer at the machine, releasing electricity from her to the machine through the sledgehammer. Then, rumbling sounds came from the machine. "The elevator should work now." Van said, calling out for the rest of the party. "Alright, let's return to the elevator."

Returning back to the elevator, Van headed over to the control system. Making sure that everyone was present, he gave a small nod and pulled a switch on the control system upwards. With the sound of sudden rumbling, the elevator began to rise up, heading to the upper layer. "It'll take some time before we reach the upper layer." Van said. "Anyway, how much time has passed before the elevator is operational?"

"Hmm… I think it's about half an hour." Arturo replied.

"Only thirty minutes left then…" Van said. His mind started to become disturbed of the events that were present throughout their exploration of Fulger Spiral. 'Strange… why would the power source of the elevator be out of electricity? As far as I know… the main power source is at the upper layer… Also… it's strange that we haven't even encountered a Black Wings member in this place and not only that, Shadows fill the entire place… I have a bad feeling about this, no, literally… It's like that feeling before we went to the Yggdrasil area in Elder Grotto…'

"Van? Is something the matter?" Sara asked, noticing her brother's worried face. Van's head suddenly rose up. He faced Sara as the elevator continued to move. "…No, it's nothing serious." He assured. He suddenly felt pain in his chest, and looked up. This feeling was too familiar for him. "Everyone! Shadows! They are coming from above!" he shouted.

"Ah?!" Everyone looked up to see four land-based Shadows landing on the elevator. Readying their weapons, the Shadows charges towards the party. Three of the Shadows attacked close-quarters and one Shadow remained far, preparing a spell. Vanille notices the spell-casting Shadow from afar and released an arrow towards the Shadow. Even though the attack did not defeat the Shadow, it was enough just to disrupt its' casting. "That's enough! Reaping Gale!" Elazul made a frontal sweep that tossed the Shadows in front of them up to the air, then he jumped up above the airborne Shadows. "Impulse!" He dove down and struck the Shadows with forceful energy from his lance. The spell-casting Shadow regains its' composure and attempts to cast a spell, but it was crushed by Cress's sledgehammer.

"What was… that?" Luca gasped after the Shadows were defeated.

"Don't drop your guard!" Van shouted. "Another wave of Shadows is heading towards us!"

This time, the next wave that appeared were now three aerial-based Shadows. Now, it was harder for Van and Cress to hit the aerial Shadows, but for Elazul, he jumped above the Shadows, lunging down and knocking one down on the floor. The aerial Shadow struggled to get up, but it was quickly finished by Elazul. "Hasten the times of the spellcaster… Enhance Cast!" Luca chanted. A glyph appeared around him, giving off a yellow aura that surrounded him.

"I won't let you! Ice Tornado!" Luca said. Almost immediately, a tornado of chilling wind surrounded an aerial Shadow. It was knocked down by the spell, and Cress swung her sledgehammer downwards to finish it. The last aerial Shadow started to attack by sending small projectiles of wind at the party. Arturo dashed quickly to the aerial Shadow until he was in front of it. "Tiger Blade!" He made a swift upward slice on the Shadow before following up with a downward slice, ending the last aerial Shadow.

"Just one more Shadow is coming… and it's a larger one this time!" Van said.

"Third one's the charm, right?!" Luca asked as the Shadow landed on the elevator. It was larger than any of the party members. It held a club of great size, and the power that emanated from it… it was fairly strong as compared to the other Shadows that were previously encountered. "…It's a Great Warrior. It's a formidable foe when it comes to Shadows." Van said.

The Great Warrior said nothing, and swing its' club to the party. "Watch out!" Sara shouted, moving to a safer area as the party dodged the club. Everyone scattered to different directions to attack the Great Warrior. It, unlike the Shadows that were encountered, did not stagger that easily when it is attacked. The Great Warrior continued to swing its' club in a wild manner, forcing most of the physical combatants to step back in order to avoid the attacks. Van and Arturo released several Demon Fang arte to the Shadow when they are far from it. Vanille continued her ranged assault on the Great Warrior. Elazul and Cress had no ranged arte, so the both of them had to move around and wait for the large Shadow to attack before counterattacking.

"There!" Vanille said, extending the bowstring and raising her bow upwards. The arrow started to give off a bright light. "I can see those weak spots! Here goes! Astral Rain!" She released the arrow that despite the ascending elevator, the arrow still made its way to the space above the elevator. Then, it gave out a bright shine. As it came down, it appeared as multiple beams of light, crashing down on the Great Warrior before one larger beam of light made a powerful force that threw the Great Warrior up into the air. As it landed on the ground, Arturo readied his Sword Lute, a glyph appearing below the Great Warrior as he strummed the strings in a fast pace. "The sound resonates to the audience, and it's curtains for you! Blood Entangler!" Arturo shouted. The glyph shot out a massive beam of light upwards at the Great Warrior. The Great Warrior finally gave in to defeat as it evaporated through the Mystic Arte.

"…That's all of the Shadows that we're facing for now." Van said. "And we're reaching the upper layer now." The elevator started to slow down as it came to a stop. The party has now reached the floor below the upper layer of Fulger Spiral. There was a set of stairs in front of them just after they left the elevator. "Hngh?!" Van suddenly knelt down, clutching his chest. It was suddenly erupting in pain, and he knew why. 'This sensation… it's somehow like the Shadows… but it feels worse!' his mind said.

"Van?! Are you alright?!" Luca gasped.

"Huff…I'm… alright…" Van said, feeling the pain in his chest subside. "…Listen, everyone. Above us through these stairs is the main power source for Fulger Spiral to send electricity to the other cities. I don't know what could be waiting for us, but is everyone prepared to head up?" He turned his head over to his sister. "…Sara. Just stay put." Sara gave a small nod.

"…We're ready." The party said.

"…Alright. Let's go." Van said, leading the party through the set of stairs. The room above them, the upper layer, was a medium-sized circular room. There was a large stone tablet that released several bolts of electricity through it. They were not the only ones in the room. There were three other Pokémon. One was resting at the wall in front of them, another was just floating near the stone tablet, and the third one, who was also floating, loses its' aerial state and collapses on the floor just near the party. Vanille and Luca were shocked to see that third Pokémon.

"Uxie!?" Vanille and Luca shouted, running over to the wounded sprite's side. Uxie's body was bleeding all over and he did not respond to Luca nor Vanille, meaning that he has lost consciousness.

"Hah… the Lake Guardians are still as pathetic as ever… Using diplomacy on an already hopeless battle…" A voice chuckled. The party turned their heads over from Uxie to the owner of the voice. He is a blue dragon Pokémon with black pelt from his torso to his head and arms. The party could notice that his hands… weren't actually hands, but heads. He wore a large black mantle that covered most of his body. An orb floats beside him, and around his main head, a pitch-black pendant.

"You're a… Hydreigon…" Cress said.

"This obvious question does not need to be answered." Hydreigon said. Cress noticed someone resting at the wall in front of them, an Audino familiar to her…

"Heart!" Cress gasped, then she glared at Hydreigon. "What did you do to her?!" She demanded.

"Simple: I took a brief analysis of her abilities…" Hydreigon replied. "…It is saddening to say that she isn't the one that I am searching for, at least for myself."

"SHUT UP, BASTARD!" Cress swung her sledgehammer towards Hydreigon. Hydreigon just simply raises his left head, erecting a barrier to shield him from the attack. Cress forced herself to step back. "Grr…" She should have known that this simple attack was nothing.

"Ah…" Hydreigon suddenly said, as if something that he forgot has returned to him. "Introductions, introductions… I forgot such an important matter like this when I meet someone unfamiliar. My name is Dhaos. Few know me of this name, or some call me the 'Demon King', or finally the great leader of the Black Wings."

"Bl-Black Wings Leader?!" Luca shouts. Dhaos took notice of the Politoed shaking all over. Not only that, he could sense the elaborate fear of Van, Arturo and Cress. Vanille was shocked, but he could tell that she hadn't heard of him at all. It was clear: everyone was facing one of the most powerful villains that roamed around the Niata region…

"Hmm hmm…" Dhaos chuckled. "Looks like there's no need for me to fight these young fledglings, since all I need is my name to defeat my enemies…" Then, he suddenly moved away as an attack tried to land on him. Turning around slowly, he could see Elazul at the wall, his lance digging deep into the wall. He could sense it… The Noivern had nothing unlike the others… He had… anger.

"Dhaos…" Elazul said, a deadly glare present in his eyes as he pulled his spear out from the wall. "We finally meet… Now I can have revenge for what happened six years ago…!" Dhaos looked at him with uninterested eyes. "…And what might that be?" He wondered. Elazul lunged again, and Dhaos easily dodged that attack. "Don't play dumb!" Elazul shouted. "You know very well what happened to me on that dreaded day! All this time… I've trained for six years… and now you shall experience my hatred! I swore to myself that only I will be the one who will spill your blood!"

"…So, there's someone who's not frightened of me, but despises me greatly… What powerful darkness…" Dhaos said. He looked at his surroundings. "…I would like to kill all of you slowly and painfully, just to hear the cries of despair just like the victims that have met me… But it seems that I have more… important matters. Now if you'd excuse me." Dhaos said, and then he dodged another attack from Elazul. Dhaos floated to the left passageway in the room.

"GET BACK HERE!" Elazul shouted, chasing after Dhaos.

"Elazul! Stop!" Luca shouted, running after Elazul, although his speed was slower as compared to Elazul.

"Wait, Luca! Elazul!" Vanille shouted, ready to chase after them, but a sudden rumble through Fulger Spiral knocked her off her feet. "Wh-What's happening?!"

"I'm not sure!" Cress said, rushing over to Heart, shaking her in hopes of helping Heart gain consciousness. Van ran to the small panel just in front of the tablet. "…Oh no, fifteen minutes left before R.D.S runs out of power… But the current energy levels are not enough!"

"Cress! Can't you release a lot of electricity for R.D.S?" Vanille asked.

Cress stopped shaking Heart, and looked at the panel. "No! I don't have enough electricity for the lost amount!"

"What do we do?!" Vanille asked.

* * *

"Storm Thrust!" Elazul screamed, thrusting his spear to Dhaos. But once again, just like the other attacks, Dhaos easily evades the attack. "RAAGH! CYCLONE SURGE! ROARING STORM! CYCLONE GALE! IMPULSE!" Elazul's attacks continued to miss Dhaos, and the more frustrated he was, the more attacks he unleashed through his anger. Soon, the fight brought them to a room. "…You've got nowhere else to run… Now I can finish you…!" Elazul spoke.

"You don't even realise the state of your own body, do you?" Dhaos suddenly said. "Repeatedly using artes without rest… and your body's already at its' limit of combat." Elazul grunted. But Dhaos was right, his body was completely exhausted from continuous usage of artes. "Instead, you're the one who's at the disadvantage." A large circle started to appear in front of Dhaos as he raised his right arm, the orb glowing as energy started to form in the circle.

"…Dhaos Blast." Dhaos spoke.

* * *

"What do we do?!" Vanille shouted. "We can't get a lot of sudden help from the skies!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Cress screamed, pressing button by button on the panel. "GIVE ME TIME TO THINK!"

"Damn…" Van mumbled. "Just a minute left…" Then, he heard a melody.

" _Tue rei ze croa riou te ze."_

" _Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze."_

Vanille started to sing that song… the Fonic Hymn. Van, Arturo and Cress stared at Vanille, hearing the strange melody coming from her. Then, suddenly the whole structure violently shook. "Ngwah?!" Cress, Arturo and Van struggled to keep their balance. If they could see the exterior, they would have realised that lightning bolts are now striking the Fulger Spiral, and all of that energy is coursing through the entire structure.

"Huh?! The energy! It's being restored!" Cress exclaimed. "Give me a little more time… Release!" She pulled down the switch, causing a powerful discharge of electricity to be sent to the power generators for R.D.S. The violent rumbling soon came to an end. Vanille stopped singing as well. Then, she suddenly began to fall forward, losing consciousness. "Vanille!" Arturo rushed and grabbed Vanille.

"That was close…" Arturo said. He then noticed Van walking to the stairs, probably going to check on Sara because of the sudden rumbling.

"Heart?" Cress asked, returning to the side of the Audino. Soon, the Audino's eyes began to move, slowly opening. "…Cress? Is that you?"

Cress gave a sigh of relief, smiling. "Yes, Heart, it's me." She replied. "But I couldn't have done it alone. I needed assistance from a group of strangers, but I feel that I could trust them." Then, Van suddenly returned from the stairs, a look of worry on his face.

"Sara's not at the elevator!" Van said. He gave out gasps, looking around frantically before dashing madly to the left corridor. "Van, hold on!" Arturo said, running after Van.

* * *

"Elazul!"

Luca finally made it to the end of the corridor. He was deeply horrified to see Elazul unconscious, trails of scarlet liquid escaping from his mouth. Quickly facing his right, he saw Dhaos. "He wasn't worth my time." Dhaos simply said.

"You! I-… I'll fight you!" Luca stuttered, but the pressure in his body was telling him the opposite, that there is no way that he could even touch Dhaos. Dhaos simply had an uninterested look on his face, simply raising his right head, pushing Luca to the wall with an unseen force. "Aah!" Luca screamed, landing at the wall and falling down. He felt a fair amount of pain from just that simple force. He didn't want to think what other spells Dhaos had that was more powerful than this spell…

"Hm." Dhaos grunted, pointing his left lead to the corridor, as if waiting for someone to arrive. "Luca! Elazul!" A voice shouted. Sara appeared from the corridor, and Dhaos just flicked his left head. A barrier immediately surrounded Sara, carrying her until she was near Dhaos. Soon, Van appeared from the corridor, a face of horror present when he saw his sister.

"Sara!" Van screamed. Sara was saying something, but the barrier was blocking any words from escaping through it. Grabbing his sword, he swung it towards Dhaos, but the attack was easily evaded. As Dhaos landed at the end of the room, Cress, Heart and Arturo, who is carrying Vanille, arrived in the room. "Hah. I have wasted too much time here." Dhaos said. "Now I shall take my leave." And with those words, Dhaos immediately vaporized from the party's sight and Sara disappeared along with Dhaos. Van hurriedly ran over to the spot where Dhaos floated at. "Sara? Sara?! SARA! ANSWER ME!" Van screamed, turning his head around frantically.

Luca stood up slowly, the attack from Dhaos still taking effect on his body. Then, he felt the Guardian Emblem vibrating in his robes. Pulling it out, Azelf's projection was shown from the crystal. "Luca! The power in R.D.S is working fine now! Anyway, did you find Uxie?" The blue sprite asked.

"Y-Yes… But he's gravely injured…" Luca answered.

"What?! Show me!" Azelf demanded. The party returned to the main area of the upper layer, showing Azelf Uxie's state. Azelf remained silent after seeing Uxie. "Azelf?" Luca asked.

"…I will take everyone here back with the Guardian Emblem. So long as the Emblem is not too far from us, I can focus power to transport the area around the wielder to Lake Purity."

"But what about Sara?!" Van demanded, holding Elazul on his back, careful not to let his large weapon harm the Noivern.

"Sara? What happened?" Azelf said. "No, better still, explain everything to me and Mespirit when you get back!" The Guardian Emblem gave off a bright glow, engulfing everyone around Luca. What remained at Fulger Spiral after the glow ended, was nothing.

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Everyone screamed, landing on a wooden table, which was unable to hold all of the combined mass, collapsed and the party rolled on the floor. Azelf and Mespirit looked at the party lying on the floor. "Someone must really fix that Guardian Emblem…" Mespirit said as the conscious party stood up after that nasty landing. The two Lake Guardians quickly headed over to Uxie, taking him to a room. Before they reached the room, Van quickly talked to them to see whether they could locate Sara.

"We will help to heal Elazul." Cress said. "It's what we can do for rescuing Heart…" Heart gave a nod as she and Cress began to carry Elazul to a separate room. Soon, after they entered the room, Vanille regained consciousness as she started to get up, rubbing her head. "Oh…. Huh? We're at Lake Purity?" Vanille asked. "So, does that mean…?"

"Yes, we have resolved the problem at Fulger Spiral." Arturo said.

"We did…? I don't remember… only after screaming at Cress, my head suddenly felt heavy…" Vanille said. She then looked to notice Van pacing around the inn. "Why's Van pacing around? And where's Sara?" she asked Luca.

"Umm… well… you see…. Sara has been captured by Dhaos." Luca responded. Then Vanille's face reacted with shock, and before she could say something, Luca dove his hands to cover Vanille's mouth.

"Mmmmurhhht?!(Whaaaaaat?!)" Vanille said through the muffling.

As they waited for either result to happen, Arturo, Van, Luca and Vanille waited at the inn lobby. Vanille decided to sit on the table, as she waited for a lost memory of hers to return. Finally, after an hour, Azelf and Mespirit left their room. They were clearly exhausted.

"Is Uxie alright?!" Luca asked, rushing to the sprites.

"Uxie's fine… He needs to recover, so any questions for him will just have to wait." Mespirit replied.

"Any luck with finding Sara?!" Van asked.

"Sorry, the both of us weren't able to detect Sara at all…" Azelf said sadly.

Van's head lowered down. "…It's…It's my fault… That Sara was captured by Dhaos… no, wait… it's not my fault…" Luca looked at him in confusion. All that happened at the next moment was really quick. Van suddenly grabbed Luca by the robes and forcefully thrust the Mage to the wall. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING BACK THERE?!" Van shouted.

"H-Huh?!" Luca screamed.

"Van, calm down!" Mespirit shouted.

"IF YOU HADN'T STOPPED DHAOS, MY SISTER WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY HIM!" Van roared, ignoring Mespirit. "No… No…" He gave a sigh of hopelessness, suddenly releasing Luca from his hold. He gave out breaths that obviously signified worry. "…Sorry, I need time alone…" The Monferno said, storming out of the inn.

"Should we follow him?" Arturo asked the Lake Guardians.

"His feelings are gravely focused on worry and fear…" Mespirit told Arturo. "We will need to let him cool off for now…" Arturo gave a small nod. "Hmm… I guess so…" he agreed. Noticing Luca making a sigh, he asked the Mage. "Hm? Luca? You don't have to feel bad for what happened to Sara."

"I know…" Luca said. "It's just… that… Ela-" He shook his head. "Never mind…" He looked around, soon noticing something. "…Hey… Where's Vanille?" He asked. The rest of the group took notice of Luca's question and they themselves also looked around the room. She was no longer on the table she was sitting on. "Looks like Vanille's not in the inn." Azelf said. "She could have left the inn..."

"That's settled." Arturo said. "Luca and I shall leave the inn, not to search for Van, but for Vanille. Would that be alright for you, Luca?"

"Huh? Hmm, yeah, I guess so." Luca said. His mind was still in thought of what happened to Elazul. For him and Uxie to be battered to this state… He knows that Dhaos was really strong. But there must be a way… a way to defeat Dhaos… Agreeing with Arturo, the two exited Lake Purity. Upon leaving, Luca suddenly bent down, pressing his hand on his head.

'…Hnn?! This feeling… I've felt this before…' Luca thought, before his head blacked out suddenly.

 **Chapter 8 End**

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Experienced Mage** **(A careful throughout learning of spells is a step closer to being a great mage.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff (Staff)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Air-Headed (Sometimes… he's, well…)**

 **Weapon: Sword Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **And so… Fulger Spiral's story ends… The group manages to rescue Heart… but Sara is now captured by Dhaos… and Uxie, Elazul and Luca were easily defeated by him… What… power…! Now, Van is worried about his sister and left the inn, and Luca and Arturo are ready to look for Vanille, but Luca suddenly receives a sudden migraine. Just what could he be sensing?**

 **So… below the 'current party', it means that the party that are currently active in the story, so… unconscious characters does not count yet, but anyway, Heart makes it as a party member.**

 **Skit: Worrying about Van**

 **Luca: (depressed emotion) "…"**

 **Arturo: (surprised emotion) "Luca, is anything the matter?"**

 **Luca: "What Van said earlier… it's true, isn't it?"**

 **Arturo: (normal emotion) "Hmm… It could be, but it could be not. Honestly, I am unsure."**

 **Luca: "…That Dhaos guy is really strong… Elazul and Uxie were…!"**

 **Arturo: "…Luca. I'm sure there could be a way to defeat Dhaos. And like I said, you don't have to feel so bad, since you're not actually at fault in here." (pauses) "…I'm not helping out, am I?"**

 **Luca: (weak smile) "Don't worry… You're doing good…"**

 **Arturo: "Hmm… We still need to let Van cool off. He probably won't like to see you again in this state. So let's find Vanille for now, alright?"**

 **Luca: "…Alright."**


	10. Chapter 9:Report

**Tales of Faith**

 **Past Arc: Creation**

 **Chapter 9: Report**

 _Ever since my birth, everyone who I had seen had been calling me 'Weapon'. I don't understand. I don't look like a weapon…_

 _Through time… no, it was several years… no, a decade… I thought that I was supposed to grow as a newborn to a child to a young adult… But my body hasn't even made any progress in this thing called… 'growth'? I asked my father (The one who called me son or Rose) about this strange phenomenon. He told me not to worry about that; he believes that I will grow in size one day… But when will that day come?_

 _Father and I have always been playing in the lab, and one day, when he was spending time with me, I saw an unfamiliar place through a window. I curiously looked at the strange plqce. It was green at the lower area and blue at the upper area. This was unlike anything I saw through the lab. "Father? What's that?" I asked._

" _That's… the environment." My father said._

" _Could I go there?" I asked. For some reason, my father looked hurt, like my words brought up a bad 'memory' or something. Nevertheless, it bothered him. "…Rose. I have to get back to my work now." He said. "Please find somewhere else to play…" He left the room hastily, leaving me to stare at this 'environment'. Why is it so bad? It doesn't look scary at all…_

 _Anyway, I was really bothered by my father's words. Is he scared of the environment? I sat in my room, extending my arm out slowly. Then I was completely shocked when something strange happened. Something that I didn't know what it was appeared right in front of my hand. When I moved my hand away, it vanished. I paused, a hint of curiosity forming in me. I reached out again… and that thing appeared again._

 _I was really excited. I headed over to the room Father worked in. "Father! Father!" I said. He turned his head towards me. "Rose? What is it?" I extended my arm. "Take a look!" I said. The item appeared once again from my hand, floating above the ground. Father was greatly shocked from that action. "Rose…! What… What… did you…"_

" _I am not sure! I just extended my arm and this happened!" I said._

"… _I see…" Father said._

" _So, can I go out to that 'environment'?" I asked._

"… _No. Rose, until you're fully ready, You're not allowed to leave the place."_

 _Today was the same result as of the other days… "…No. You can't go to the environment." Father said. I shook my head. "Why not?!" I asked. Father looked downwards. "…Rose, please… I'm doing this for your safety…" He said before walking towards the exit of the room. But I noticed that something dropped from his attire, and he didn't notice. I looked over at the fallen object. It was a book. It said 'Report' on the cover. I picked it up. I am sure that Father would need this. I left the room, walking around the lab after I checked the room Father had worked at and found that he wasn't here. I soon found the room that I felt Father was at. But before I entered the room, I could hear voices from the other side._

" _I already said this before: Rose is not a weapon!" I'm pretty sure that was my Father's voice._

" _How can you have feelings for a mindless weapon?" Another voice shouted from there._

 _I was scared. Really scared. Am I a weapon? Why does everyone call me a 'Weapon'?! I don't understand! I somehow couldn't find anything else to head into the room, and I retreated to my room hastily. Sitting on the bed, my head was hurting. 'Am I a weapon?' The thoughts repeated in my head. I couldn't stand it._

 _I need to look through the book right away! Opening the cover, I read the contents._

 _ **Entry 1.**_

 _ **The Fossil that was resurrected and modified was a Genesect. Genesect was given the name "Rose" and he is now my son.**_

" _A Fossil? What's that?"_

 _ **Entry 16.**_

 _ **Rose is happily playing with me again. I have decided that from now on, I will make sure that Rose is kept safe. I've decided to abort the decision to turn Rose into a weapon.**_

" _Somehow… that feels scary on that last part…"_

 _ **Entry 78.**_

 _ **Rose just saw the outside world today when we were playing together. I was scared when he asked me to go out to play. I quickly declined as my response. And on that same day, Rose headed into my office and he created a weapon! He asked me again, and I declined again.**_

 _That thing I made out of nothing… is called a weapon? But I look nothing like it…_

 _ **Entry 289.**_

 _ **Rose has now entered his tenth birthday. He has created many weapons from out of existence through that period. And from that point, I have been trying to convince the other researchers that Rose isn't meant as a combat weapon, although his intended purpose was for battle.**_

… _Am I a combat weapon? Am I a weapon?!_

 _ **Entry 304.**_

… _ **Rose has asked me yet again to go outside with him… But no matter how much I wanted to agree, I can't! I don't want him to become like Bass! And all of the researchers are now preparing to erase his memories and turn him to the mindless weapon they desire! Why can't they understand?! I never wanted a monster!**_

 _Scary…Scary…Scary! I'm so scared! I flung the report to the other side of the room. It's lies! All of it! I'm not a weapon! I'm not a monster! I'm not…!_

… _._

… _But, I want to know. Who am I, really?_

 _I want to find out the truth of who I really am…_

 **Chapter 9 End**

 **Current Party:**

 **Rose (Genesect *) – Weapon ("Who am I?!")**

 **Weapon: Weapons (?)**

 **So, who is Rose, really? Even I find myself questioning about this… The Past Arc: Creation just has two more chapters just before it moves on to other segments of the Past Arc…**


	11. Chapter 10:The Demon King's Plot

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 10: The Demon King's Plot**

" _Luca! Luca!"_

"Ah?!" Luca suddenly rose his head upwards. He sees Arturo looking at him. "Huh? Arturo?" he asked.

"What's wrong, Luca?" Arturo asks. "You suddenly knelt down and mumbled strange stuff like 'combat weapon' or something like that… Are you sure you're alright?"

"I…" Luca mumbled, rubbing his head. "I think that I am fine. So anyway, how is our progress?"

"Actually, we are still outside Lake Purity. We have yet to search for Vanille." Arturo replied.

"Oh…"

"Now… where could Vanille have wandered off to?" Arturo wondered, looking at the surroundings near Lake Purity. Luca rubbed his head. "This should be the second time Vanille is in the Kingdom…" he analysed.

"She could be anywhere in this vast place…" Arturo said.

"…Or maybe not." Luca said. "I have an idea! Arturo, check out the city!" He started to run off towards a direction.

"Then, what're you going to do?" Arturo asked.

"I think I can guess where she is!" Luca shouted from afar. Then he suddenly tripped on the floor and landed on his face. "Ouch!"

* * *

When Luca arrived at his destination, it was a lush scenery of nature. There were plenty of visitors at the gardens in the Kingdom, all gazing at the variety of plant life at this place. "It's been some time since I last visited this place…" Luca said, reminiscing one of the moments, particularly, the moment he met the princess, Arche…

" _Owaaahh…" A younger Luca, amazed by the lush green land in front of him. The Poliwhirl looked around excitedly, wondering which flower he wanted to look at. "Pops! Pops!" Luca called out. His father turned his head down to Luca._

" _Ho… The gardens in the Kingdom of Namdiascar is a fine place to appreciate the environment." Luca's father said. He rubbed his son's head. "Luca, I got important stuff to do now, so don't wander off too far from the gardens!" He told Luca, walking out of the garden. After his father left, Luca ran around the garden, frolicking around at the garden. He squeezed his way through one of the large bushes in the garden, and he suddenly bumped into something which was not part of the bush._

" _Ah!" A female voice gasped._

" _Oh, sorry!" Luca apologized. The character he bumped into was a small sprite made of granite and jewel. She was as small as Luca, and her eyes too brimmed with never-ending curiosity. "…Who're you?" Luca asked the Diancle. "My name's Luca!"_

" _I'm… My name's Arche…" Diancle answered._

"… _Arc…hain?" Luca mispronounces._

" _No. Ar, che." Arche said._

" _Where did the princess go this time?!" A voice away from the bushes shouted._

" _She couldn't have gone far! We must find her!" Another voice shouted._

" _Princess?! Where are you?!" A third voice screamed. Then, the two children heard the sound of footsteps near the bush as plenty of figures ran by the bush._

" _Shh…" Arche shushes Luca. "Don't tell anyone that I went here…"_

" _Umm… Okay…" Luca said. Arche nodded, carefully peeking from the bush before finally leaving the bush. Luca wonders curiously. 'Who is that girl?'_

" _Luca! Where are you?"_

 _Luca rose up. That was his father's voice. Squeezing out of the bush, he notices his father walking, searching for him. "Pops!" Luca called out, catching his father's attention. Luca's father walked up to him. "Ah, there you are, Luca!"_

" _Pops! I met this girl named Arche today!" Luca said._

" _Arche?" Luca's father asked. "You don't mean, perhaps, Princess Arche?"_

" _Princess Arche?" Luca wondered._

" _Yes, this Kingdom has a princess, and her name is Arche."_

" _I met a princess?!" Luca said. "Wow! That's really awesome!"_

'There she is!' Luca thought as his mind returned to the present time, seeing Vanille gazing at a tree of sakura flowers from where he stood. She still had that face of curiosity as she observed the sakura tree. "Vanille!" Luca called out, running towards Vanille.

"Ah! Luca!" Vanille said, surprised to see Luca. "What are you doing here?"

"You suddenly disappeared from the inn, so Arturo and I went out to search for you." Luca explained. "I somehow guessed that you could be at this particular place… But how did you get here? Isn't this the second time you visited the Kingdom?"

"Ahh… Promise me that you won't laugh…" Vanille said, a small blush forming on her face.

"Why would I laugh?" Luca asked. "Just tell me; I promise that I won't laugh."

"I made my way towards this area… is because of my head. It told me to go here, and directed me through the city… And that's how I arrived at this place." Vanille told Luca. "For some reason… I felt like that I could remember something… maybe I liked this place before I suffered from amnesia?"

"Oh! Then, that means that you have lived here!" Luca said.

"I… I don't know…" Vanille admitted. "My mind's still foggy… and I don't remember anything else…" She looks at the sakura tree after drawing her head down. Luca follows her sight and looks at the sakura tree as well. "Sakura… they're a rare flower that blooms only at the unseen Village of Ninjas and at this place…" Luca started to say, before speaking with a detailed explanation of the origin of sakura flowers. As he talked, Vanille decided to peek at Luca. As she began to realise it from this angle, she feels that Luca is actually…

"…good-looking." Luca finishes.

"Ah…!" Vanille gasps, turning her head away from Luca as to hide the blush on her face.

"Like take for example, I think that this sakura flower is good-looking! It's well grown throughout the seasons!" Luca said, before turning towards Vanille. "Don't you agree, Vanille?"

"Ah… Um…" Vanille tried to say, but found it hard to speak clearly for some strange reason.

"Never mind... I forgot about your amnesia." Luca said. "Now, let's head back to Lake Purity."

* * *

When the duo returned to Lake Purity, they found Arturo sitting at the bar, with Cress and Heart. Cress and Heart seemed to be talking to Arturo about something, and he is listening carefully. The three stopped their conversation when they noticed Luca and Vanille at the entrance.

"Oh, Luca! You've found Vanille!" Arturo said.

"Wait. If Cress and Heart are here, then does that mean…?" Luca said.

"Yes, Elazul has recovered." Heart said, getting off from the barstool. "He is now in his room. I think that he would want to see the two of you." Luca gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness…"

Heart leads Luca and Vanille to the room Elazul is in. Upon entering, they could see Elazul sitting on a bed. There were several bandages wrapping his midriff and chest, but nevertheless, he is in a manageable condition. He had a look of depression which instantly vanished when Luca and Vanille entered the room. His face remained as the grumpy and silent Elazul they know.

"…Elazul?" Luca asked, walking towards Elazul.

"…Luca…Vanille…" Elazul said, before he found himself being caught in a tight embrace by Luca. "What the…?! Get the F*** off me!" Elazul shouted, pushing Luca away. "The f*** are you doing?!" Elazul said. "I have no need for this!"

"It's… It's just that…" Luca said, sniffling. "I thought that you were in really deep trouble…"

"Yay!" Vanille said, clapping her hands. "Elazul's back to normal!"

"…All of you, just shut up…" Elazul mumbled, facing away from them.

Heart made a soft giggle, looking at the scene. "Oh, Uxie would like to see us. He is now awake and would like to speak to us. Cress and Arturo are waiting for us outside the Lake Guardians' room." Heart said. Nodding, Heart led Luca, Elazul and Vanille to the Lake Guardians' room. There were Arturo and Cress… and Van standing outside the door.

"Van!" Luca and Vanille gasped. "You've returned."

"Luca…" Van said. "I'm… sorry for suddenly lashing out at you earlier. It's just that…" He rubbed his arm. "…Sara's the only family that I have. I don't know what I would do… if Sara wasn't here…"

"I'm not mad at you!" Luca said. "You're just worried about your sister, aren't you? I know how it feels to worry about someone important to you…"

"Hmm…?" Van said. "So… you have a sibling…?"

"No…." Luca said, rubbing his head. "My mom's the only family that I have… my pops passed away when I was younger… no one has ever found his body on the battlefield since that day…" He faced Van with a smile. "But, I forgive you! I'm not mad!"

"…Thank you…" Van said, giving a small smile.

"Luca." Cress said. "Heart and I have decided: we will follow you."

"Oh?" Luca said.

"This 'Demon King', Dhaos, he must not continue to roam on this world, so I must do what I can to stop his plot. And I want to pay him back for kidnapping Heart." Cress said.

"…And I need to continue to follow Cress, I know that she will continue to protect me." Heart added. "And with my healing magic, I can support all of you." She held a long white rod on her arms. "This is my weapon type, a rod. This rod's name is the Healing Rod, a weapon fitting for a Healer like me."

"Well… thanks a lot! We need all the help we can get!" Luca said. Elazul said nothing, because at this point, he had already given up on talking to Luca about making his own decisions. Nevertheless, the group still entered the room, where the three Lake Guardians floated at the other side of the table in the room. Although there were a few scrapes and closed wounds on Uxie, he was fine. Luca, Vanille and Heart took a seat at the couch facing the table, the others stood by near the couch.

"Thank you, everyone… If you hadn't been at Fulger Spiral… I probably would have been dead by now." Uxie began. "You were all fortunate to have survived under the events that occurred at Fulger Spiral… I thought that you could have been the ones who could have died…"

"Why?" Vanille asked.

"…Dhaos." Was Uxie's reply.

The name 'Dhaos' gave a shiver on the ones that sat on the couch. The ones who did not sit on the couch gave a frown upon hearing the name (excluding Arturo, who responded with a thoughtful look).There wasn't a single survivor who has faced Dhaos and lived… except them…

"As you may know… Dhaos is the leader of the Black Wings. The power he possesses is fearsome. He can eliminate those who stand against him even with the weakest spells of each element… that even those spells casted from him is as dangerous as the high-tier spells… That…. Is one of the reasons he is called the 'Demon King'…" Uxie continued.

"That could be concluded that he has incredible power, since you nearly faced death in a battle against him…" Arturo said.

"…I am not lying on this. But Dhaos is actually weaker than I am… No… he is weaker than the Lake Guardians even separately…" He faced Arturo. "Arturo. I think that you may know what I will say next, but I am sure that you could have guessed that Dhaos is not alone…"

"Well… he is after all, the leader of a crime organization…" Arturo said.

"That's true… But it's not what I am referring to." Uxie told Arturo. "…Does anyone remember what Dhaos had back there at the Fulger Spiral?" He asked the party. The party started to recall what Dhaos had at the Fulger Spiral during their encounter. "I remember!" Luca shouted. "He had an orb… and he wore a pitch-black necklace…"

"…The orb is his weapon of choice…" Uxie said. "As for the pendant, however… it is a piece of the cursed equipment that hasn't been seen since a millennium ago… Its' power is to control the souls of the dead and turn them into the living plague… it's the Spirit Pendant."

"Living plague…?! You don't mean…?!" Luca gasped, realising what the Spirit Pendant could have made.

"Yes, Luca. The Spirit Pendant is the cursed item that creates Shadows, which is in the hands of Dhaos, the Demon King…" Uxie said. "And thus… Dhaos is the root of the Shadows' rebirth."

The room fell into silence. So, Dhaos is the one… who has caused the Shadows' appearance. "Not only that, the Spirit Pendant has the ability to control the living, and cause them to abide by his orders… or worse still, turn them into Shadows, but the effect only lasts until the 'Shadow coating' is defeated…" Azelf explained, which reminded the party that entered Elder Grotto the incident at the last chamber.

"Then… the Great Elder at Elder Grotto mentioned that the top gun of the black-cloaked figures… it must have been Dhaos's doing…" Vanille muttered, clutching her hands. "But… why would he damage the root of Yggdrasil…?"

"There are two reasons;" Heart said, standing up from the couch. "One: Yggdrasil is a holy tree which has the power to banish the Shadows. Two: the sap extracted from one of the great trees of Yggdrasil has mysterious properties."

"Heart is correct." Arturo said.

"Then the steep drop of electricity at Fulger Spiral… that means that he has also taken a considerable amount of electricity there…" Cress said.

"Electricity and sap…?" Luca wondered. "I don't get any of the links between those things…"

"Neither do I… But whatever plot Dhaos has, it definitely must not be good…" Mespirit muttered.

"…Lake Guardians." Elazul said. "You must have known that this was all Dhaos' doing, judging by how Uxie reacted and headed over to Scientia City upon my mention of the Black Wings."

The Lake Guardians became silent after Elazul's words. "…Yes, Elazul. We all knew all along that Dhaos was the one behind all of this and of his possession of the Spirit Pendant, and we didn't want to tell you, because he is still a formidable foe." Uxie said.

"Formidable foe or not, I just can't stand around and do nothing!" Luca said. "If we don't stop him, who knows what he'll do? Right, guys?!" He said, getting off from the couch and facing the party.

"Yeah. And maybe I can find Sara and rescue her." Van said.

"If he is the culprit back then at the Elder Grotto, then he surely must not be forgiven!" Arturo said.

"He has to pay for kidnapping Heart." Cress said, cracking her knuckles.

"Yes, we need to stop his sinister deeds." Heart said.

"…Let's make sure he doesn't do anything else." Elazul said.

"Okay!" Luca said, facing the ceiling. "Dhaos! If you're listening, then know this: The seven of us and the three great Lake Guardians will defeat you and bring peace to this world!" he gave a determined shout.

"Speaking of guardians…" Uxie said, facing Mespirit. "Mespirit, have you seen Phione around? He hasn't returned to the inn for a few days…"

"Ah!" Mespirit gasped. "I forgot about him!"

"Phione?" Vanille wondered. "Who is that, Luca?"

"Umm…" Luca wondered, trying to recall where he has heard or seen 'Phione'.

"He and his elder brother, Manaphy, are our apprentices." Azelf answered. "About three weeks ago, Manaphy has went to the Costa Island to investigate a strange event. But strangely, he has not returned. Phione decided to venture to the Costa Island as well in order to find his brother, but he too, suffered the same result…"

"Okay. Then, let us go to Costa Island!" Luca said.

"…We don't know what caused Manaphy or Phione's disappearance… You may end up disappearing like them…" Azelf disagreed.

"…So, if we find the cause of the disappearance, then maybe we can find a way to find Manaphy and Phione, right?" Luca said.

Azelf didn't say anything, looking disturbed by the answer Luca gave. Mespirit consoled him. "Don't worry: they will be fine. They can surely find Manaphy and Phione."

"…Okay. Go to the harbour of R.D.S and take a ship to Costa Island. Then, search that place until you find Manaphy or Phione." Azelf said.

"Alright! We will do that!" Luca said, running to the exit… only to forget that the door was closed and he smacked against the door. Rubbing his face, he opened the door and left the room. Soon, the rest of the group left after that clumsy moment of Luca.

* * *

"There you are." A voice inquired.

"…Hmm?" Another voice responded. It belonged to a female. She was holding a bow on her left hand. The other voice, belonging to a male, held one chain with a sickle attached at the end on his arm.

"Looks like you're still training as always."

"Tsk… I don't need your comment." The female muttered.

"Still the same reason as always?" The male asked.

"What else did you think I'm training for?"

"So… I've found something that you might be really interested in…" The male said, passing a parchment of paper to the female. The female began to read it, soon flinching suddenly.

"…Tch. Is that all the paper said?" The female walks to a helmet, stopping when she was in front of it.

"Ah… How could I forget? The lone female in our group… who has exceptional sword and bow skills…" The female says nothing, grabbing the helmet in front of her. Placing it on, she swings her bow. The bow's edges suddenly shifted upwards, closing up the spacing between them. It was now a sword.

"…God General Vanitas."

 **Chapter 10 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Shadow Slayer (Proof comes from experience of defeating a fair amount of Shadows.)**

 **Weapon: Iron Lance (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Experienced Mage** **(A careful throughout learning of spells is a step closer to being a great mage.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff (Staff)**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Ranger (Further use of the bow has led to a more experienced grasp through the bow.)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow (Bow)**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Broadsword Novice (A user of the heavy broadsword is gradually getting closer to mastering the weapon.)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword (Broadsword)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Nimble Tune (The experience of using a Sword Lute shows a gradual growth of the fine music and swift combat.)**

 **Weapon: Sword Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda (Flaffy) – Paladin (A knight benedict by the holy gods)**

 **Weapon: Spirus' Sledge (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood (Audino) – Healer (A magic user capable of healing magic)**

 **Weapon: Healing Rod (Rod)**

 **Chapter 10 now ends with Cress and Heart's officially joining the party. The party now sets forth to the Costa Island, where Manaphy and Phione mysteriously vanished… And now we know… the antagonist of the Main Arc is Dhaos… I know that Rod and Staves are nearly the same type of weapon, but I decide what types of weapon each character holds.**

 **Skit: The Healing Users**

 **Luca: "Oh, welcome to the group, Heart!"**

 **Heart: "Yes, it's my pleasure to be helping all of you."**

 **Cress: "Heart, don't overdo the healing…"**

 **Vanille: "Even if Heart wasn't able to help, I could still cast Heal on you!"**

 **Heart: "Oh? You can cast healing spells, Vanille?"**

 **Vanille: (happy) "Yes! I somehow managed to learn Heal, it's really useful!"**

 **Heart: "Do you have any other healing magic, Vanille?"**

 **Vanille: "Oh…" (depressed) "Heal's the only healing magic that I can use…"**

 **Heart: (surprised) "Oh my…" (determined) "Okay, I will do my best, then!"**

 **Luca: "…Huh?"**

 **Cress: "Looks like Heart has begun her training…"**

 **Luca: "Training?"**

 **Cress: "A male like you will never understand the power of the healing magic."**

 **Luca: "Huh?! What's that supposed to mean?"**


	12. Chapter 11:Elazul's Past

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 11: Elazul's Past**

The roar of the ship's horn echoed through the harbor area at R.D.S as it began to take off to its' destination. As usual, the harbor was crowded with Pokémon both departing and arriving at the harbor at R.D.S.

"Seven tickets to Costa Island, please." Luca said at the counter.

The ticket vendor nods, producing seven tickets and handed them to Luca, who in exchange, handed over 700 pieces of Poké. Luca returns to the party and hands a ticket to each of the members.

"So it will take us three days and two nights to arrive at Costa Island." Van said.

For a strange reason, Cress looked at the ticket with dismay and quite an elaboration of fear in her face.

"…We're not getting on a ship, are we?" Cress questioned, taking a step back.

"Huh? What's wrong, Cress?" Luca asked. Cress shakes her head, taking more steps away from the harbor. "Tell me we aren't getting on the ship. Please, tell me we're not taking a ship!" Cress said.

"But it will take way longer to get to Costa Island on foot." Luca explained. "Taking a ship will be the fastest way to get to Costa Island."

"Are you scared of ships, Cress?" Elazul suddenly said, causing Cress to twitch.

"N-No! I'm not scared of ships!" Cress shouted. "It's just… that…" She huffed furiously. "…Fine! I'll board the ship! I'll show you that I'm not scared of ships!" She said, storming off to board the ship that they would be taking. As the group watched, Cress has made it to the prow of the ship.

"Uh…" Luca wondered why did Cress reacted that way.

"Hmm, I guess we should board the ship as well." Arturo said.

The rest of the party soon boards the ship and stands near Cress. She didn't pay any attention to them, looking fairly prideful against the earlier accusation that Elazul said to her. They heard the ship's horn roar. The ship has started to set off from the harbor, and sails on the seas.

"…This is my first time taking a ship…" Vanille said. She looked down from the ship's prow and stared at the ocean beneath her. "…The ocean's beautiful…"

Luca stood beside her, looking at the ocean as well. "Yup, what a sight, right?"

"Uuugggghhhh…"

Luca and Vanille turned around and saw Cress suddenly in an unwell state, as compared to her neutral state before the ship has departed. The Flaffy held on to the bars as she struggled to maintain her sense of balance. In fact, her face had green gradually appearing around it.

"Someone… have mercy and save me…" Cress mumbled before she suddenly belched to the sea. Luca and Vanille looked weirdly at Cress before Heart begins to talk.

"Cress suffers from seasickness." Heart explained. "I first noticed it when we took a ship once, which Cress was hesitant to board on the ship. When I returned to bring some food to Cress after the ship had departed, I found her unwell at the prow of the ship, where she has decided to wait. Apparently, the sea causes her to be nauseous and when she moves through these water bodies, her head would suddenly feel dizzy and she can't focus on anything else… But Cress has her pride as a Paladin… actually, on herself. So she is stubborn to let anyone help her overcome her seasickness…" Heart begins to walk away from Cress.

"Uuuuuuhhhhh…" Cress groaned, belching again.

"We should help Cress, right?" Vanille wondered.

Everyone else didn't say anything, and dispersed from Cress. Arturo sat down on a chair, taking his sword lute out of the scabbard and started to play a serene tune. Elazul brought out his spear and started to practice with it. Van gazed to the sky, sighing. Vanille looked at Luca. "Umm… what should we do…?" she asked the Mage. Luca rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno… Hey, maybe we could check out the ship's interior for the time being!" He suggested, grabbing's Vanille's hand and taking her around the ship, not noticing Vanille's flustered face.

* * *

The first day soon arrives to night, and the party has decided to sleep. This excluded Elazul, who has decided to continue his training through the night. The party decided to split between males and females into two different rooms. Luca's sleep was rather disturbed, as he was experiencing a strange dream…

" _THIS ENDS NOW! INDIGNATION!" A voice shouted. Then, lightning suddenly crashed down on the area…_

"AH!" Luca screamed. He quickly sat straight on the bed he was resting on. Looking around, Van and Arturo were still sleeping, undisturbed by Luca's scream. "J-Just a dream…" Luca mumbled. "I wonder whether Elazul's still training…?" Getting off the bed, he left the cabin room, walking along the corridor to the ship's prow. As expected, Elazul was still outside, thrusting his spear around and quickly drawing it back. Luca watched afar from the corridor, staying near a wall so as not to be seen by him.

"Luca?"

The sudden voice made Luca jump, and he quickly moved his hands to his mouth to muffle the scream he made because of the sudden voice. Turning around, he saw Vanille behind him.

"V…Vanille?" Luca said, calming down and relaxing his body.

"I couldn't sleep again…" Vanille explained. "And… what are you doing here?"

"I… had a bad dream…" Luca said. "And I wanted to check on Elazul…" He resumes his peeking at the prow of the ship. Vanille joins in, looking at how Elazul was training. His movements were really quick, Vanille could notice. Elazul made a horizontal slash, quickly drawing his spear back with the nails that held the base area of the spear before making multiple thrusts in front of him. He performed a cartwheel maneuverer, swinging his spear down, but making sure it did not touch the floor before swinging it upwards. He continued on with his training session, swinging his spear with more speed as time passed.

"Wow… Elazul's training really hard…" Vanille said.

"Yeah… Ever since the Shadows took his–" Luca stopped saying the sentence afterwards.

Vanille looked at Luca. "The Shadows took his what?" she asked.

"…No, it's nothing." Luca said, then he suddenly heard something clatter. Quickly looking back at Elazul, they noticed that his spear is on the floor, and he seemed to be clutching on his wing.

"Ela–" Vanille started to say before Luca covers her mouth. "Mmmmmmph!" Luca soon released his hands from Vanille's mouth. "Why did you do that?!" she demanded softly.

"…Elazul's just fine. He'll just carry on even if we went over and asked him to stop…" Luca told Vanille. They looked back at Elazul, seeing him pick up his spear, and resuming his training. "See?" he said.

'…But why did I nearly blurt out Elazul's past to Vanille…?' Luca thought. 'As Elazul's friend, he didn't want anyone else to know what happened to him… And I nearly broke that promise to keep it a secret…'

"Luca?" Vanille asked.

"…We should get some sleep now." Luca said, heading back to the cabin rooms.

* * *

The next day was slightly different than the previous day. Cress is back at the ship's prow, belching again in reaction to her seasickness and Elazul is training at the same area where Cress is. Heart is now beside Cress, monitoring her state. Arturo wasn't sitting on a chair today, nor was any music that would come from his sword lute present. In fact, no one has seen him through the morning. Van has joined Luca and Vanille on their walk around the ship. "…So, what did you two find out on this ship?" Van asked.

"Oh, we–"

"Hold on." Van suddenly said, halting the two from speaking and turning over to a stack of crates and moving a few away. He looked through the crates, surprised to see Arturo hiding behind them. "Arturo? Why are you hiding behind the crates?"

"Oh, Van!" Arturo said, raising his head cautiously. "And Luca and Vanille. I'm now hiding from what I could have made as fans yesterday."

"Fans?" Vanille wondered. "What's 'fans'?"

"A fan's either like an object where you could flap it around to blow cooling air or a fan's a person who admires a famous person." Luca said.

"Which 'fan' is he referring to?" Vanille asked.

"But having fans on just one day isn't so bad, right?" Luca asked Arturo.

"Well, with too many people around me, I find myself unable to concentrate on playing my sword lute!" Arturo said.

"So, it's something like stage fright?" Van said.

"No… It's nothing like that." Arturo said. "Now I need to find a new place to hide and probably play without anyone hearing me!" Squeezing out from behind the crates, Arturo made quick steps away from the trio. Van folded his arms. "Huh, looks like Arturo can't tolerate an audience." He commented.

"…I still don't get what 'fans' is he talking about…" Vanille said. "Is it the item, or people?" Luca and Van looked at her with deadpan expressions.

* * *

After having dinner, Luca started to head over to the cabin rooms where the party was staying. He was about to open the door where the males slept before a female voice calls him. "Luca!" Luca turned around to see Heart behind him. "Could we have a talk together?"

"Umm…" Luca said, thinking whether he had anything else to do other than sleep, and nods at her question. "Sure, I don't mind." Heart nodded. "All right, come in." She said, leading Luca into the cabin room where the females stayed. In the room, all of the females in the party were present. Luca took a seat on the floor just like Cress, Vanille and Heart.

"So… what did you girls want to talk to me about…?" Luca said.

"Luca. Vanille told us that you had a jewel. I think it is similar-looking to mine and Heart's." Cress said. Luca looked at them, quite surprised that Vanille has talked about his jewel. "Oh, okay. I'll show you." Luca said, taking his Sapphire out from his robe pockets. Cress and Heart looked at Luca's Sapphire. "…It is similar… in the shape of my Topaz…" Cress said, reaching out for her bag and taking out a yellow-coloured gem from it, showing it to Luca.

"And my Tourmaline." Heart said, reaching for her robe pocket and taking out a white-coloured gem. Luca looked at the two crystals. "Hey… those gems… I've heard of them before… That's right! Those gems are part of the Crystals that were used to save the world from the Shadows from a millennium ago!"

"Crystals?" Cress asked.

"Uh, yeah! Long ago… the Shadows came to plague our world into darkness… until the gods have decided to create crystals with magical properties to fend off the Shadows. These crystals would then find their owners, which were given the term 'Crystal Bearers'. The Crystal Bearers would then fight against the Shadows to defeat them once and for all." He looked up thoughtfully. "Come to think of it… Arturo's Emerald, Van's Ruby, Vanille's Opal, my Sapphire, and Elazul's Aquamarine also have the same name as those Crystals from that legend!"

"…Could it be a coincidence…?" Luca wondered. "That the reason we're gathered together was because we have a Crystal…?"

"Speaking of Elazul…" Vanille said. "Yesterday, you said that he had some sort of connection with the Shadows, what did you want to say?"

"Uhh…" Luca gulped. "I've already said it was nothing serious…"

"Oh, I am interested about Elazul as well." Heart suddenly said.

"Elazul must definitely have a bone to pick with Dhaos back there at the Fulger Spiral. I would like to know why did he react with such rage." Cress added.

"Umm… Well… The Shadows… err…." Luca started to stutter.

"…The Shadows killed my younger brother."

Cress, Vanille, Heart and Luca turned towards the door to see Elazul standing there. "Gah, Elazul?! How long have you been there?!" Luca said.

"…Since this conversation started." Elazul replied, entering the room. "Looks like everyone's now thinking about why I suddenly let loose back then at Fulger Spiral." He sat down beside Luca. "…Now I guess that I needed to tell the truth sooner or later. Listen, because I will only say it once and I won't say it again. Talk during the story, and I won't bother continuing it. About six years ago…" Elazul said, as he began to recollect on his past.

* * *

" _This should be enough."_

 _Elazul, six years ago, was still a Noivern. He never really knew his father since he rarely saw him through his life. His mother, a Dragonite, passed away ever since his baby brother was born. For six years since his brother's birth, Elazul has been taking care of his younger brother up to this day…_

 _Elazul made a soft hum after placing the stack of wood at one place. He turned around, walking towards a door. Opening it slowly, he entered another room. There were two beds in the room: one was large which was for him and the other was small, which on it, was a small Dratini sleeping peacefully under a blanket. Elazul walked towards the small bed containing the Dratini and sat beside it. Continuing his hum, Elazul reaches out for the Dratini, brushing it with his wing. The Dratini started to fidget, hinting its' awakening._

"… _Hnnn…?" The Dratini murmured, waking up slowly. "…The lazy hum…?"_

" _Hey, show some respect for the hum that Mom made, Allen." Elazul said. "That hum was the only thing that could help me sleep when I was your age. It's nice and peaceful. There's no other hum that could beat this in a million years."_

" _But Mom's not here…" Allen said. "And Dad's not here either…" Elazul closed his eyes. He remembered the day his mother passed away, and that was the day his younger brother appeared as an egg. For his father, however, he didn't really know what has happened to him. Opening them slowly, he reassures his younger brother. "Don't worry… I am here. And I will remain by your side no matter what."_

" _Promise?" Allen asked._

" _Promise." Elazul replied, letting Allen's tail coil around one of his nails for a makeshift pinky swear._

 _After two hours, Elazul leaves the house, trusting Allen to stay inside the house no matter what. He did what his everyday life consisted of: hunting. Taking down a wild wolf with the spear he was accustomed of using for a long period of time, he prepared to head home with the wolf held on his wing. He looked up slowly to the sky. "…Today's the same day as usual." Elazul said. "Wonder whether Allen would be okay with wolf for dinner?"_

 _Then, something struck the back of his head. "Gah!" He shouted, rubbing the spot where he was hit. Turning around, there wasn't anyone behind him. But on the ground, a small sky-coloured crystal laid there. "What the…?" He said, picking the crystal up. "When did this appear…?" He shook his head, holding on to the crystal and heading back home._

 _Later, after Elazul has fully prepared dinner, he and Allen were both munching on roasted wolf meat. Allen looks at his brother, and then looks at the sky-coloured crystal that he had laid on the table._

" _Elazul, what's that?" Allen asked, gesturing his head to the crystal. Elazul tears a piece of meat, swallowing it before speaking. "I don't know. It quite literally fell from the sky… and hit me on the head."_

" _Oh…" Allen looks at the crystal curiously. "Maybe you should keep the crystal." Elazul nods, finishing the meat that he was eating. "Okay. It's time for bed." He said, clearing up the table. Allen nods, slithering over to the bedroom. Soon, after a few minutes, Elazul returns to the room. "Okay, time for you to go to sleep." Elazul said._

" _Elazul…? Could you sing me that lazy hum…?" Allen asked, rather shy of his words._

"… _You want to hear the hum?" Elazul asked out of surprise. Allen nods. Elazul smiled. "Alright." He exhaled before he started to hum again. He continued his humming, watching his younger brother's eyes slowly closing until they were fully shut. Elazul gave a small smile, returning to his bed and letting the night pass for the next day._

* * *

"…Huh? There isn't anything about the Shadows yet…" Vanille said.

"I already said to keep quiet, didn't I?" Elazul warned.

"O-Oh… Sorry…" Vanille apologized.

"As I was saying…"

* * *

" _I'm going out. Stay at home." Elazul said the next day. He grabbed his spear and was ready to head out, until he saw a sudden flash. Quickly turning around, he was sure it came from the direction… the direction where the sky-coloured crystal rested on the table. He looked at it confusingly, until he remembered that it hit him on the head yesterday. He reached out for the crystal, grabbing it and placing it in a small pouch._

 _Leaving the house, he departed from the village, heading outside to begin his hunting. Strangely, after wandering for a long time, he hasn't even come across a single wild animal at all. "Strange… why aren't there any wolves here?" Elazul muttered, arriving at the spot where he knew that wolves roam around. "I could have caught anything just before I reached here… where are all of the animals?"_

 _Shaking his head, he spread his wings and took off from the land. Flying back, he noticed… smoke?! Quickly hurrying back, the next scene that he saw was a harrowing one. The entire village was set ablaze. Through the flaming village, he could spot strange black blobs scattered all around the village. One of the black blobs was summoning flames just outside the village. Landing quickly, he made sure to land on the black blob, impaling it with his spear. The black blob dissipates into black substance that vanishes from sight. Hurrying over to the house, he could see several of the villagers lying dead on the ground, slain by those black blobs which he quickly took care off as he cleared the path to where Allen was. Finally entering the house, which was also the same state as the rest of the houses, he looked around worriedly._

" _ALLEN! ALLEN!" Elazul shouted through the blazing house. He started to cough through the smoke, quickly holding his breath. "Elazul?! *cough*! *cough*!" a voice shouted through the smoke. Elazul quickly hurried over to the voice, finding his younger brother. "Allen! Don't worry! I'm here!" Elazul shouted, holding Allen._

" _Ela-?! *cough*! *cough*! *cough*!" Allen was interrupted through rough coughing. Elazul turned to head out of the bedroom, but quickly avoided a sudden fall of debris from the ceiling. Looking around, there was still one way to get out, but it would risk a major injury for him. Shaking his head, there was no time to think. He prepared his right wing, rushing towards a wall, smashing through it. He screamed as the flames scorched his wing. Rolling on the ground, he looked at the house, which soon collapsed on the ground._

 _He quickly looked down to his younger brother. "Allen?! Are you okay?!" he asked worriedly. Allen tried to respond, but started to cough again._

' _He inhaled too much smoke…' Elazul thought, flinching from the pain in his wing. He looked around the blazing village. He was unable to fly now because of his damaged wing. He begins to notice a figure in front of him. His vision wasn't hallucinating through the searing heat. A Hydreigon wearing a black mantle was floating in front of him._

" _Who are you?!" Elazul demanded. As far as he knows, no Hydreigon lived here in this village._

"… _My name is Dhaos. I am also known as the Demon King." The Hydreigon replied. "I have come in search of a strange thing that fell down near this place. I am sure that this object was in this place somewhere, so I requested some assistance from the villagers, but they didn't know. So I have made a response to their answer."_

" _And your answer is to BURN DOWN THE VILLAGE?!" Elazul shouted._

" _Haaah. You seem like you know something about… a sky-coloured crystal that fell from around here." Dhaos answered. Elazul flinched, his eyes looking down at the pouch he held. "You do have it…" Dhaos said, noticing Elazul's action. "Now, I will request a battle in order to determine the rightful owner of the Aquamarine."_

" _The hell…? I can't even fight well in this state! And you expect me to-?!" Elazul said, before Dhaos raises a head to ask for silence._

"… _Fair enough." Dhaos said. "I will spare mercy for now. You have only one day before the Shadows make sure that at least one of you doesn't live to see their next day." Dhaos turned his back away. "Run, boy. The only thing that you can do now is run. Besides, you think that you could save anyone with such a soft heart?"_

 _Elazul started to take steps away. He was sure that he could just throw his spear to kill this mystery figure, but… he could sense a dangerous aura emanating from Dhaos… Dhaos was right: fighting him now would just be suicide. And with this wound, he wouldn't even last long against this guy. And he can't risk losing Allen during the battle. Heeding Dhaos's advice, he made a mad dash to get outside from the village. Dhaos just raises his left head, and all of the Shadows in front of Elazul dropped their hostile stances, letting him pass by them without resistance as he got out of the village. He took one last look at the blazing village, his home… before running further and further…_

 _A day has passed, and Elazul was worried. Dhaos has told him that either him or Allen would die or even both of them. He gazed at his brother. Allen was coughing violently, and was running a fever. What can he do…? Elazul looked at his wing. It hasn't fully recovered. He needs to walk all the way to the next village, which is far away… and he is running out of time. He looked carefully around his surroundings, which is a forest. Standing up, he looked at Allen worriedly. He leaned down and whispered to his younger brother. "…Allen, please stay here… I'll come back soon…"_

 _Leaving his brother, his heart was wrenched with guilt and fear. Was this still the right thing to do? He left his brother unattended during the days, but yesterday was far from a nightmare… and Dhaos's words… He arrives at a small stream. He needs to tend to his wound first… Looking up, he recalled that some of the leaves in a tree had medicinal properties in them that could have made as a makeshift medicine for wounds. Tearing a few leaves, he soaks them in the stream before pressing it on his wound. He flinched again in response to the pain. It still hurts like hell even when the leaves have started to take effect on his wound. But eventually, the pain begins to wear off. Moving his wing, he could tell that it hurt a bit less, and he was capable of using it, but still unable to fly for now. This will just do. He just needs to return to Allen and continue their travel._

" _Allen, I'm bac–" Elazul stopped mid-sentence, realising that Allen wasn't anywhere from where he left. "Allen?! ALLEN!" Elazul shouted, looking around fearfully. He didn't want to think that it has already begun. Looking closely, he noticed a sign of weak struggle from a bush. Running over to that direction, his worst fear was realised. The black blobs had his younger brother surrounded. Allen was floating mid-air, whimpering as energy was slowly sapped by one of the Shadows, which had a mage-like appearance._

" _ALLEN!" Elazul shouted, throwing his spear at the mage Shadow, piercing its' head and causing it to vanish. His brother immediately stops floating and lands on the floor with a soft thud. The rest of the Shadows in the area, surprised by the sudden attack, all faced Elazul, who landed beside Allen. Elazul quickly clutched Allen between his wings. "Allen… Allen…" Elazul said worriedly, giving a few shakes. "…. AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!" He gave a roar as the Shadows around him all jumped to attack him. Then, wind in the form of blades suddenly appeared around him, brutally slashing all of the Shadows into pieces. A glow present in Elazul's pouch soon fades away._

 _Elazul huffed weakly, shaking the silent and limp body of his brother time by time as he walked on the road. He was really scared… he will lose his only family… He was sure that the village isn't far now… Finally, after several minutes of walking, the village was in sight. He was relieved. Now he could bring Allen to the medical attention in this village and…_

"… _Ela…"_

 _Elazul looked down to see his brother's eyes opened weakly, that they were slits. His breaths were very weak now. "D-Don't worry… the next village isn't far from here… You'll be alright!" Elazul said in a comforting voice. But he knew he was fooling himself. At this state… he was sure that Allen couldn't have made it…_

 _Allen doesn't say anything, weakly gesturing his head to the ground. Elazul looks at him confused, but bends down. Allen then moves his tail to make a drawing on the soil. When he finally finishes, the word 'hum' was now on the soil. Elazul immediately looked at his brother's face. "…You want to hear the hum?" he asked Allen weakly._

 _Allen weakly nods. Elazul gasps, gulping before he begins to hum. As he hummed, his voice begins to crack as gasps escaped from his throat. His eyes have also begun to leak crystal-clear water as he continued to hum. Allen makes a small smile, saying nothing as his eyes began to struggle to open, but as Elazul finished his hum, Allen's eyes were fully closed. His mouth no longer moved. Nothing of him moved at all…_

 _The soil receives a teardrop, and then another and another… Elazul gasps as tears flooded from his eyes, now holding the lifeless body of his brother. He pressed his head on Allen's body, clenching his eyes and unable to stop the tears from flowing. "AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Elazul faced the dark skies and made a scream full of despair that rends the air…_

 _A few days later, Elazul has been welcomed at his new home as a resident. He sat silently at a stone tablet which read the following:_

 _ **Allen del Fable**_

 _ **Born: 10/3/00**_

 _ **Deceased: 9/4/06**_

 _Elazul stares at the grave which now holds his brother. He looks his spear, which he has stabbed it on the earth earlier when he arrived. Grabbing his spear, he pulls it out of the soil. "Dhaos… I won't run forever…" Elazul said, his eyes full of vengance. "I swear that when I am stronger, I will be the only one to kill you… Because I am an avenger. I won't stop… Until your blood is spilt!"_

* * *

"…" Elazul didn't say anything afterwards, his face had hurt all over it. Vanille and Heart looked at him with shocked faces and Cress looked at him with a hurt face. "Elazul…" Heart said.

"…I should have just kept quiet." Elazul said, standing up and preparing to leave.

"Wait, Elazul!" Vanille said. "Even if you kill Dhaos, that… that won't bring your brother back, right?" Elazul immediately stopped. "…He must pay for what he has done… I'm an avenger… I won't stop until Dhaos is dead." He said, before leaving the room.

"Elazul…" Luca said. He quickly stands up. "…I need to sleep right now. Tomorrow's the day when we arrive at Costa Island. You should all get some rest too…" Leaving the females' room, he enters the males' room. All of the males were sleeping now, including Elazul. Luca sighed, taking off his robes and placing them near the bed where he slept. Grabbing the blanket, he snuggles in it and soon falls asleep…

 **Chapter 11 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Avenger (He must pay for what he has done to my brother…)**

 **Weapon: Iron Lance (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Experienced Mage** **(A careful throughout learning of spells is a step closer to being a great mage.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff (Staff)**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Ranger (Further use of the bow has led to a more experienced grasp through the bow.)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow (Bow)**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Broadsword Novice (A user of the heavy broadsword is gradually getting closer to mastering the weapon.)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword (Broadsword)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Nimble Tune (The experience of using a Sword Lute shows a gradual growth of the fine music and swift combat.)**

 **Weapon: Sword Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda (Flaffy) – Paladin (A knight benedict by the holy gods)**

 **Weapon: Spirus' Sledge (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood (Audino) – Healer (A magic user capable of healing magic)**

 **Weapon: Healing Rod (Rod)**

 **Now we know the past of Elazul… His younger brother died and his life was ruined because of the Shadows… and to avenge his brother, he pursues Dhaos… If anyone felt that Elazul's past was rather… 'dark', feel free to review about it…**

… **This is probably one of the chapters that I've put in a lot of stuff about… Next up, the party arrives at Costa Island! We can't let Elazul's past haunt us!**

 **Skit: Elazul the Grumpy**

 **Vanille: (normal) "Luca, you use a staff, right?"**

 **Luca: (curious) "Yeah, so?"**

 **Vanille: (joyfully) "A book once told me that a weapon may reflect on the personality of the wielder!"**

 **Luca: (amazed) "Oh?! What does it say about staves?!"**

 **Vanille: (normal) "If I remember… a staff-wielder is supposed to be curious and outgoing!"**

 **Luca: (amazed) "Wow! That's incredible! I match that description!"**

 **Elazul: (normal) "…Hmph. You believe in that nonsense?"**

 **Vanille: (normal) "Oh, and spear-wielders are supposed to be grumpy and have a foul mood."**

 **Elazul: (irritated) "Well. Excuse me for being grumpy and having a foul mood."**

 **Vanille: (depressed) "Oh, sorry! I didn't know that you were sensitive of your personality…"**

 **Elazul: (angry) "I'm not sensitive! It's just that…"**

 **Luca: (nervous smile) "Elazul, don't pick on Vanille…"**

 **Elazul: (growling) "You idiot… she's the one picking on me!"**


	13. Chapter 12:The Mercenary

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 12: The Mercenary**

 **Southern Isle**

 **Isle of Paradise, Costa Island**

The final day has arrived as the ship docks at the harbor of Costa Island. Luca, Vanille, Arturo, Van, Cress, Elazul and Heart were part of the Pokémon departing from the ship to the harbor. There was a complete feeling of the tropics through the town that sat at the harbor of Costa Island.

"F-Finally… Free from this living nightmare…" Cress groaned, resting on the ground.

"This place is so lively!" Luca said, looking around.

"Hey." Elazul said. "We aren't here to do sightseeing. We have to find Manaphy and Phione at Costa Island, remember?"

"O-Oh, right." Luca said, rubbing his head.

"The first thing to do is to ask the people living around here. They may have a clue to the disappearances of Manaphy and Phione." Elazul said, but just as he finished his sentence, everyone has already dispersed to different directions. "…Why am I even in this…? All Luca and I were supposed to do was to bring Van to the Kingdom… and somehow… I'm pulled in this…!" he muttered.

"Excuse me…" Vanille asked one of the Pokémon. "Do you know of anyone named either Manaphy or Phione?"

But the Pokémon didn't respond, quickly hurrying off to their own business.

"Let me try…" Luca said. "Hey! We want to talk to you about something!" He called out to a passer-by. The passer-by gave the same response as Vanille's attempt, quickly hurrying away from them. "Umm… I'm from the guild at the Eastern Region! Its name is Ad Libitum!" Luca shouted. Still, he received no response from any of the townsfolk. "…I take back what I said about this place being lively… They are ignoring us!" Luca said.

"Why won't they stay to hear us out…?" Vanille wondered.

"They won't answer you."

An adult-like voice catches Luca and Vanille's attention. Turning back, they saw a large gray rabbit-like Pokémon with a fair amount of fur around his stomach behind them. His ears are humongous and they flop down from the head. The rabbit-like Pokémon wore a brown coat that covered the rest of his body, only leaving his chest exposed. Apart from the coat, a belt was worn, holding two identical weapons on each side.

"A Diggersby…" Luca said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Vanille said.

"Like I said: They won't talk to visitors since the incident at Costa Island." Diggserby told them.

"An incident at Costa Island?" Luca wondered.

"Looks like you two don't know anything about this island, huh?" Diggserby said. "But before I tell you two, I want to know your names."

"Umm… My name's Cloudia Vanille. But you should just call me Vanille." Vanille said.

"I'm Luca R. Ezperanda." Luca said.

"Alright. Just call me Alvin." Diggersby said. "I'm just a mercenary travelling around the Niata region."

"What's a mercenary?" Vanille asked.

"Oh, a mercenary's a soldier who's hired by others to perform duties for the reward of money." Luca said. He faced Alvin, who was rather surprised of Vanille's curiosity. "Vanille suffers from amnesia. She doesn't know who she is…"

"Okay… Since neither of you know about the Costa Island, I'll do the honest of telling you two." Alvin said. "About a few months ago… there were strange rumours talking about something called black blobs that began to appear around the island. Some of the visitors would investigate this strange rumour, only to never return from the island…"

Luca and Vanille gasped, realising what those 'black blobs' were… "…SHADOWS!" They screamed.

Alvin looked at them. "You know those things?"

"Yeah! The Shadows are fallen souls that failed to make it to the afterlife! Shadows are created by a Hydreigon named Dhaos!" Luca said. "Please, continue talking!"

"Okay… If I heard correctly… after these blobs appeared three weeks ago, a water-like sprite arrived at Costa Island to investigate the strange matter, but is not seen by anyone afterwards. Soon, after that, another water-like sprite appeared at Costa Island to tend to the same matter. It, too, disappeared without a trace…" Alvin said.

"Water sprites… Those must be Manaphy and Phione!" Luca said. "Where did they go?!"

"Hmm… To the forest area, if I remember correctly…"

"Alright! Thanks a lot, mister!" Luca said, running off to the forest. "Luca, wait!" Vanille said, chasing after Luca.

* * *

"…How much for this spear?" Elazul questioned the owner of the weapons shop. Grabbing a spear at the rack holding spears, he passed it to the owner.

"This Partisan? 2, 400 Poké." The owner told Elazul.

"Okay." Elazul said, handing over the money needed to purchase the spear. Swapping his spear for the new one, he left the weapons shop, where Arturo and Van waited for him.

"…It's still the same." Elazul told them.

"None of the villagers are even starting a conversation with us…" Arturo muttered. He, Van and Elazul were a group. Currently, their progress hasn't at all. Neither of the three were able to find out about Manaphy or Phione.

"I wonder why…?" Van said.

"Awa… No treasure, there is!"

Elazul and Van recognized the voice easily. In front of them, a Sandile was wandering around the town. "Keep getting ignored, I am! Something wrong, this place has!" The Sandile continue to mutter in displeasure. "Steel and Mellissa, where are they…?"

"…Hey." Elazul called out.

The Sandile jumps in shock. "HYARGH!" He turned around, seeing the trio. "AH! You two and a total stranger, it is!" he shouted.

"…Dice, right?" Van said suspiciously. "What are you doing here? No, more importantly, what does your leader plan to do?"

"Awawa! Bad things, we are not planning!" Dice shrieked. "Brought us here for treasure-hunting, Mellissa did! No one speaks to us, when we arrived!"

"…You too?" Elazul said. "Where are your allies?"

"Ehh… Reconnaissance, they are doing! Treasure-hunting duty, Mellissa gave me! Err… Ehm…" Dice began to trail off from his sentence. "…Talking to all of you, why am I?!"

"Oh!" A female and male voice called out at the same time. Van, Arturo and Elazul looked from behind Dice and saw a Weavile and a Pawniard.

"It's them! And a stranger…" The Pawniard said.

"Oh, we met you back there near Blood Forest!" The Weavile said. "Whatever are you doing here?"

"We could ask the same to you." Van said. "But it looks like we may have the same situation…"

"Excuse me, but who are they?" Arturo asked.

"They are called the 'Dark Wings' group." Elazul said.

"That's right. This trio is all that we have of the Dark Wings!" The Weavile said. "You can call me Mellissa, and these are my associates, Dice and Steel. Now, what is your name, Servine?"

"I'm Arturo Carpaice." Arturo said. "I'm a poet from the Blood Forest."

"Alright. Steel, Dice! We're done here!" Mellissa said. "After all, neither of the three of us could find a rare item in hidden ruins at the lake!" She prepares to take off, when Van called her. "What hidden ruins?"

"It'll be best if you find it for yourselves!" Mellissa replies before leaving. Steel and Dice sighed. "Lagging behind again, we are…" Dice said.

"Meh… Let's go before Mellissa chews us out for being so slow…" Steel said. The male bandits soon depart, following their leader.

"Hidden ruins… at a lake?" Elazul muttered. "…This may be a clue to the happenings around Costa Island."

"Either way, we at least got something to follow for now." Van said. "Let's find the others and tell them our discoveries."

* * *

"We've tried to talk to the townsfolk from around here, but they won't talk to us…" Heart said.

Cress looked at the townsfolk around them. She began to realise something: it was not just them that the townsfolk were ignoring… About everyone that came from the ship received the same cold shoulder greeting from the townsfolk. "Something must have happened here…" Cress concluded. "But we aren't getting even close if we don't have any information… Where are we, anyway?"

Looking around, the two females realised that their investigation brought them to a fairly large building at the central area of the town. "…A Guild?" Heart said. "Luca did mention that he was part of one of the Guilds around the region. So, this guild is one of the other Guilds?" Cress looked at the sign. "…Ad Libitum. It has the same name as the Guild Luca and Elazul are in." Cress said.

"Maybe this Guild might have some information?" Heart suggested.

"That's right, Heart. We should check it out." Cress said, opening the doors of the Guild. Upon entering, Cress and Heart saw that the room that they were in was dressed in a coast-like environment. The floor had a sandy feeling to it and there were seashells on the walls and plenty of other oceanic materials were in the room. A receptionist stood by behind the counter in front of Cress and Heart. Upon noticing their entrance, the receptionist gave a smile.

"Hello." The receptionist said. The receptionist was a blue jellyfish-like Pokémon who had a round head and small triangular tufts which were crown-shaped. The Pokemon also had red oval eyes with blue sclera and a single straight eyelash on each eye and a wavy collar. Overall, the Pokémon is a male Frillish.

"A kid." Cress said upon seeing the receptionist.

"Hey, that's rude, addressing me as a kid!" Frillish frowned.

'…But you ARE a kid…' Cress thought.

"So, anyway… neither of you are from around here, right?" Frillish said. "This Guild is named Ad Libitum. It stands for 'freely' via Latin. So, how can I help you? Oh, and my name is Maestro Coral, by the way."

"My name is Cress LaVeda. And this is my friend, Heart Burkwood." Cress introduced herself and Heart.

"We have arrived here via a ship with our companions." Heart said. "None of the villagers are talking to us, strangely when we arrived."

"Oh, then you must be travellers taking up the request to eliminate the strange black blobs that have been appearing around Costa Island." Maestro concluded.

"Hold on." Cress said, moving to a corner with Heart. "You don't suppose that those black blobs are…" Cress asked Heart.

"It could be Shadows…" Heart said. "So, what should we do?"

"There's only one thing…" Cress said, walking up to the counter. "Alright. We may not be guild members, but we shall take the request to eliminate those black blobs you speak of." Maestro gave a smile. "Ah, that's great! If you want more information concerning the request, please speak to our Guild Master! He is in his room. Just go to either corridor until you reach the stairway. Head up and you'll be in his room! Oh, and just be mindful of his… hearing."

"Alright. Heart, let's go." Cress said. Following Maestro's directions, Cress and Heart took the stairway and headed up to the room of the Guild Master, which is actually the second floor of the Guild. The room was fairly decorated. In front of Cress and Heart, a blue sea turtle Pokémon with a rocky shell had its' back turned at them. It is a Carracosta.

"Excuse me." Heart said. "Are you the Guild Master?"

The turtle Pokémon notices the females and turns around to meet them. "Hm? Who are you?" Carracosta asked.

"My name is Heart Burkwood. And this is Cress LaVeda." Heart said. "We're here to eliminate the black blobs in this place."

"Ah… Okay… I'm the Guild Master of the Ad Libitum at the Southern Island. My name is…" He looked down, pondering. Cress frowned slightly. '…He needs to remember his own name…?' she thought. Carracosta raises his head back at the females. "…My name is Historiarum Aquos. Please call me 'Histor' for short. Hmm… what did you say the reason you were here…?"

"We just said it." Cress told Histor. "We're here to eliminate the black blobs."

"Black blobs…? Oh, that's right. Those things that are appearing around Costa Island." Histor said. "Okay… The request says that if you were to find the source of the black blobs, then maybe if you stop it, then the black blobs will no longer appear."

"Alright. We will stop those black blobs from appearing." Cress said. "But there's no need for a reward. We're just here to help."

"…What are we talking about again?" Histor asked. Cress twitched. "You….!" Cress grumbled. "Just how are you so-?!" She was about to continue until Heart stopped her. "Of course we will handle the black blobs. Please wait until we return."

Leaving the room quickly, Heart dragged Cress back to the entrance of the Guild. "You two really are taking the request!" Maestro said from behind the counter. "Oh, before you leave, could you do me a favour?"

"A favour?" Heart asked.

"Yes. While you're doing the elimination of the black blobs, could you find my elder sister? She's a Frillish like me, and her name is Rain."

"Oh? Do you have any clue to where your sister might be?"

"Not really…" Maestro said, then the next words he spoke were reduced to a minimum volume. "…Probably trying to find ruins and stuff…"

"What did you say, Maestro?" Heart wondered.

"Ah, it's nothing!" Maestro gave a smile. "Come on, go already and find my sister!"

Nodding, Heart and Cress leave the Guild, meeting Elazul, Van and Arturo outside of the Guild. "Oh, Elazul! Van! Arturo!" Heart said. "We found out something: There are Shadows inhabiting this island!"

"Shadows…" Van said. "They're here as well…?! We might have found a good spot to look, you two. Follow us to the lake at this island… By the way, did either of you see Luca or Vanille?"

"No, I have not." Heart said.

"Neither did I." Cress said.

"I was hoping that either of you have saw them… For Luca not to return to find us… I have a bad feeling about this…" Elazul said. "…We need to find them, fast."

* * *

"Luca, please stop!" Vanille said. Luca finally listens to her, halting his movements and letting her catch up. "We should have gone to the others instead of going to the forest, right?" Vanille asked. "Even if I am an amnesiac… I think that we should find the others…"

"You're right…" Luca said. "But, still…" He takes a few steps forward. "Either Manaphy or Phione could be in grave danger even as we speak now!" He scratched his head, looking at his surroundings. "Uhh… Umm… Where do we go next?" he asked hesitantly. "Uhh… I think… that we should go this way…? Or that way?"

"Luca? Are we… lost?" Vanille asked.

"Umm… Uhh…" Luca said, walking towards a path, then stopping, and then walked towards another direction, and then another… He wandered around the same spot helplessly. "Ahh… Err… Umm…" Then, something appeared right in front of him. "EYAH!" Luca screamed as a solitary Shadow was right above him. Vanille gasped, grabbing her bow.

A sudden sound of a fire from a gun rang through the area. The Shadow immediately dispersed into mist after the sound was heard. Vanille stared silently, slowly lowering her drawn bow down. Luca also had the same reaction as her. They looked silently in front of where the Shadow was.

"Woah, you two don't have to run off like that." An adult voice said. Turning around, Luca and Vanille recognized the adult as the mercenary they met earlier. Small wisps of smoke escaped from the muzzle of the barrel, which had a large sharp blade attached below the barrel. His large ear held on to the handle which would normally appear from a gun itself. Not only that, there was a weapon similar-looking towards the weapon he was holding.

"That's… a gunblade." Luca said. "And you have two of them… So… you're dual-wielding?"

"You're right. This style of dual-wielding is tricky to master." Alvin said, placing the gunblade he was wielding back into the left scabbard. "But once you get used to it… It'll be very simple from now on! Anyway, the forest now isn't a good place for young kids like you two."

"But I'm not a kid…" Vanille said. "I'm eighteen…"

"Well, either way…" Alvin heard a shout from behind. Looking behind Alvin, Luca immediately saw Elazul, Van, Arturo, Cress and Heart running towards them. "We heard some gunfire, so we thought that you might be in troub-" Van said, then stopped when he saw Alvin. "And who is this guy?"

"Wait! He's not an enemy!" Luca said. "You see…"

Both sides of the party took time to explain their findings through their investigations.

"So…" Luca said. "There's a set of ruins in a lake at Costa Island? And you suspect that the source of the Shadows might be there?"

"That's a possibility." Arturo said. "Considering that strange structure back there at the Elder Grotto… That thing apparently creates Shadows. So, if we were to destroy the source, Shadows won't appear around this island."

"And this guy's a mercenary?" Cress said, pointing at Alvin. "And he has heard that Manaphy and Phione are around this forest?"

"It's still unclear…" Luca said, rubbing the back of his head. "But we should check out that lake that you guys are talking about!" The party agrees with Luca as they began to take steps. "Hold on…" Alvin said. "Now, are you all gonna leave me here? I can still help you guys on whatever you are all doing."

"…And you expect us to trust you…?" Elazul muttered.

"Okay. You can come with us." Luca said just as the precise moment where Elazul talked. Alvin gave a smile whereas Elazul placed his nails on his face. "Arceus…" He grumbled.

"Well, I won't be disappointing you now with my Revolver gunblades!" Alvin said. "We're sure to make a fair alliance now!"

* * *

With now the newest member in the party, the party walked through the forest, heading to the lake where their investigations have brought them. Upon arriving, the group notices a pink jellyfish Pokémon, floating around, apparently in search of something.

"No… It's here somewhere…" The female Frillish muttered. "I can just feel the ruins calling for me… Where are they…?" She moved around, soon noticing the party. "Oh? Who are all of you?"

"My name is Luca R. Ezperanda, and I am a Mage." Luca said. Soon, the rest of the party introduced themselves to the Frillish.

"My name is Rain Coral. I'm a professor who's researching about the ancient cultures that could be in this island." The female Frillish said. "I heard that there were a set of ruins here, but I just can't seem to find them."

"Your name's Rain Coral?" Heart asked. "Your brother, Maestro, asked us to find you!"

"Oh? My brother's searching for me?" Rain asked. "Has it been that long…?"

"Oh!" Luca bent down to read a tablet embedded on the ground. Rain noticed this action. "Oh? You're reading that? I am not sure what the tablet meant after reading it, so I don't suppose you do either."

"I got it! These are Melnics. So what I have to do is…" Luca stood up, grabbing his staff. "Everyone! Move away! Really far!" Everyone decided to back off away from the lake. Luca started to chant words as he concentrated his magic energy. "Wave full of wisdom…" he chanted.

"…Oh, Arceus." Elazul said, realizing what spell was Luca going to use, and judging by his chanting, it apparently must be used. "Everyone. Please get on the trees. Now." He quickly flew up and landed on a branch. Everyone stared at him, rather confused by his action.

"…swallow the misfortune done by the ravages of war! Tidal Wave!" Luca rose his staff high up to the air. The lake in front of him started to churn violently. Then, water violently erupted, sending a torrential wave towards the rest of the party. Upon seeing the wave, everyone else but Luca scampered to climb on the trunks and resting on the log as the wave washed past the land. As the lake erupted, a structure started to rise from the lake. With a mighty groan, the structure was fully revealed as an underground entrance.

"There is an entrance now…" Arturo said, jumping off from the branch.

"What did you say about 'Melnics'?" Vanille asked, jumping off from the branch and walking to Luca.

"Oh, Melnics is an ancient language that existed in the ancient times of a civilization. I know a fair amount of Melnics. So, translating this tablet was no problem!" Luca said proudly.

"And what did the tablet say?"

"Ocean." Luca replied. He noticed Van clutching his chest. "Is it… the Shadows?" Luca asked. Van gave a nod. "Then… this place must hold the breeding area of the Shadows! Alright, gang! Let's head on forward!"

"You should head back, Rain." Cress said, turning to face Rain.

"No! I'm going to follow you into this place! I've been searching for this place for a month, and I'm not losing this opportunity!" Rain said. "Besides, I can heal all of you with my Aqua Rod!"

"Well… alright." Cress answered. "I guess another healer will be alright."

"Oi! How long is everyone going to stand there?" Luca asked, standing at the entrance. "Come on! Let's go, already!" The party soon enters the area, now finding themselves in a set of ruins… The Seabed Ruins.

 **Chapter 12 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Avenger (He must pay for what he has done to my brother…)**

 **Weapon: Partisan (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Experienced Mage** **(A careful throughout learning of spells is a step closer to being a great mage.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff (Staff)**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Ranger (Further use of the bow has led to a more experienced grasp through the bow.)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow (Bow)**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Broadsword Novice (A user of the heavy broadsword is gradually getting closer to mastering the weapon.)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword (Broadsword)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Nimble Tune (The experience of using a Sword Lute shows a gradual growth of the fine music and swift combat.)**

 **Weapon: Sword Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda (Flaffy) – Ironing Board (…in a nutshell, the women that are worried about their chests.)**

 **Weapon: Spirus' Sledge (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood (Audino) – Healer (A magic user capable of healing magic)**

 **Weapon: Healing Rod (Rod)**

 **Alvin (Diggserby) – Mercenary (A soldier who is paid to fight)**

 **Weapon: Revolver (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Guest Character:**

 **Rain Coral (Frillish) – Professor**

 **Weapon: Aquatic Rod (Rod)**

 **And thus marks the end of another chapter. I don't really want to talk much on the Author's Note sections nowadays, but… never mind. The Melnics language is from Tales of Eternia, so… just wiki it if you want to find out more…**

 **Skit: The female chest**

 **Cress: (depressed) "…"**

 **Vanille: "Cress? What is it…?"**

 **Cress: "A…I…at…es…ed?"**

 **Vanille: "Huh?"**

 **Cress: "…m…fl…ch…t?"**

 **Luca: "You aren't saying it clearly, Cress…"**

 **Cress: (angered) "AM I FLAT-CHESTED?!"**

 **Vanille & Luca: (shocked) "Ah!"**

 **Cress: (shocked, then worried) "Oh… sorry… I just… that was a slip of my tongue…"**

 **Luca: (normal) "Huh?"**

 **Cress: "It's just that… Heart… her chest…"**

 **Luca: "Oh, that fairly-sized chest."**

 **Cress: (angered) "LUCA!"**

 **Luca: (shocked) "Wah!"**

 **Vanille: (normal) "Why does a chest have to be big?"**

 **Cress: (normal) "Wha…?"**

 **Vanille: "I don't think that everyone should have a large chest."**

 **Cress: "…You'll need this as well, Vanille."**

 **(Vanille obtains the title "Ironing Board")**

 **Vanille: "Oh? For me? I couldn't…"**

 **Cress: "No. I insist. You are now welcomed to the group that I belong to. Well then…" (leaves)**

 **Vanille: (happy) "Looks like I earned a new title."**

 **Luca: (nervous smile) "Ehahaha… I don't really feel that you should be proud of it, though…"**


	14. Chapter 13:Seabed Ruins

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 13: Seabed Ruins**

 **The secrets of the deep, Seabed Ruins**

As compared to the rocky entrance, the insides of the Seabed Ruins were different. Water leaked down from the ceiling of the room, as to be expected from an underwater area. Seaweed somehow swayed around, as if the air around it has moisturised it to be able to move as if it is in the seas. Luca gave out plenty of gasps, looking at the surroundings of the room that was the entrance. He faced left, and then, right.

"Umm… Luca?" Vanille asked.

"…RUINS!" Luca shouted in glee. "OH, WOW! THESE ARE RUINS! AHHH! WHAT SECRETS DO THESE RUINS HOLD?!" He excitedly ran over to a wall, staring at it in amazement, then he moved on to another wall, while squealing in delight. The rest of the group looked at Luca, completely surprised of his sudden change of personality.

"…Ruin Mode in effect." Elazul said.

"'Ruin Mode'?" Cress asked.

"…Bring Luca to anywhere that has even a single glimpse of ruin-based culture, and you can see him go wild and become a sudden maniac in archaeology." Elazul just told Cress.

"FANTASTIC!" This did not come from Luca, but from Rain. She laid on the floor, squealing in bliss. "…Not another Ruin Mode maniac…" Elazul said.

Getting off from the floor, Rain glared furiously. "I'm not a maniac! I'm a researcher!" Rain shouted.

'…And that's Ruin Mode in a nutshell.' Elazul thought.

"Hey, the path splits ahead." Alvin said, pointing to the paths in front of them. "Two paths." Arturo said. "The most reasonable method is to split into groups."

"Hmm… Everyone. Let's choose the path we want to go!" Luca said, running to the left pathway. After the whole party made their choices, the result was that Luca, Alvin, Heart and Arturo chose the left pathway while Vanille, Van, Cress and Rain chose the right pathway. Elazul stared at the groups. Both of them had one 'Ruin Mode' character. This was not going well for him…

"…Kh." Elazul walked to the left pathway. Luca jumped up in joy. "Alright! Okay, guys! Let's go!" He gave a shout, and walked to the pathway… and tripped and tumbled down on the descending stairway. '…I knew this was a mistake.' Elazul thought as he walked down the stairway, hearing Luca's shouts of pain.

* * *

"These Shadows won't quit!" Vanille said, releasing multiple arrows. "Gale Shot!"

"Demon Fang! Fierce Demon Fang! Demonic Void!" Van swung his broadsword, obliterating the Shadows in front of him.

"Crushing Blow!' Cress slammed her sledgehammer down on the Shadows near her.

"Splash!" Rain summoned a torrent of water from above and it fell down towards the enemies below where the water fell.

"That… should be enough for now…" Van said, sliding his broadsword to its' scabbard. "Now then…" As the group headed further through the dungeon, the next room was a large area. There were several levels of floors, and water rushed through the massive gaps of the floor. "…A room full of water…" Van groaned.

"I can go over to the next room." Rain said, floating over to the next opening of the room.

"I can't swim." Cress and Van said. "Besides, the currents won't let us even advance."

"Hmm? What's this?" Vanille wondered, grabbing a structure on a wall and pulling it down. Suddenly, the room roared, and the water level started to drop. Now, it has descended to a lower level, but not at the bottom of the room.

"Vanille. That must be a switch." Van said. "If we find others like this, maybe we can change the water levels and proceed."

"Switches like this one…?" Vanille wondered. "Oh! There are three levels in this room!" She looked down at the currents, now the floor visible from everyone's sight.

Cress looked at the currents. There were several structures that were either floating or sitting at the lowest level. "But we need to use the right switches." She said. "Those structures may let us pass through other areas or block our paths." As they headed to the lower level, Vanille spotted another switch and pulled it. Now, the currents changed, causing the structures to move around the currents. "Hmm…" Vanille wondered. "Oh! The currents changed!"

"Looks like some of the switches change the currents of the room." Van said.

"All right." Cress said. "We will need to use these switches in order to progress. Vanille, Van. We will need to remember which switch does what and how it can help us."

'Hmm… I wonder what Luca and the others are doing right now…?' Vanille wondered.

* * *

"O sacred powers… cast your purifying light on these corrupt souls! Rest in peace, sinners! Judgment!" Heart shouted. From above her enemies, pillars of light struck randomly around the whole room.

After the Shadows were cleared, a sword lute was dropped from one of the defeated Shadows. Arturo picked it up. "Hmm… I suppose it shall do for a new weapon. Let's see… I shall call it the Rhythmic Tune."

"Wow! Heart! You use offensive magic as well?" Luca shouted, amazed.

"Well… I support Cress with my Light-Elemental magic." Heart explained. "My main focus is on healing magic, but I can still cast offensive Light-Elemental magic."

"D-Damn it…" Elazul grunted. When Luca and Heart turned around, they saw him in an exhausted position. He was using his spear to hold him from falling down.

"…UWAH! ELAZUL'S DOWN!" Luca shrieked. "What do we do?! WHAT DO WE DO?!"

"Calm down, Luca! Should a party member suffer from a knocked out status, we can restore their health with either a Life Bottle, or the healing spell Resurrection." Heart explained.

"Life Bottle…? Oh! I think I have one!" Luca said, digging through his robes. Finally, he took out a vial full of blue liquids. "Alright. Now let him consume it." Heart said. Luca hurriedly ran to Elazul, pulling out the cap of the vial, and pouring the liquids in Elazul's mouth. "I'm sooooo sorry, Elazul! If I had casted my spells much faster…" Luca said.

After consuming the Life Bottle, Elazul stood up steadily. "…To think that I was pushed this far by small fries…" He growled.

"Well… let's head further in to check out the bottom floor of the ruins. Then, maybe we could find the source of the Shadows." Alvin said.

"…Luca. There's something bothering you, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Luca said, scratching his head.

"Ever since we entered the ruins, you have been spacing out time by time." Elazul told Luca. "This has rarely happened through the missions we went through. What is wrong?"

"Uh…" Luca rubbed his forehead. "It's nothing…"

"…Hm." Elazul walked by Luca, carrying on forward. "Wait up, Elazul!" Luca shouted, running after Elazul.

"Hmm… come to think of it…" Arturo said. "Luca looks like he is being bothered with something…"

* * *

After about a half-hour, the group at the right pathway has finally traversed through the water-level puzzle and has entered the next room.

"This room…" Cress said. "It's a cell room." As they walked around, most of the cells were empty. All except one, which held an aquatic sprite. As the group stood in front of the cell, the water sprite notices them, relief on its' face.

"Who are you?" Vanille asked the aquatic sprite.

"My name is Manaphy." The aquatic sprite answered. "About three weeks ago, I heard news that there was something strange happening around the island. So I headed over there to investigate. I found these set of ruins and entered it. I was attacked by those black blobs called 'Shadows'. Just as I managed to defeat them, a Hydreigon appeared and knocked me out."

"Wait. Did you see anything that was on that Hydreigon?" Van asked.

"Hmm… I think that he was wearing a black mantle…"

"That must be Dhaos…" Cress said, grabbing her sledgehammer. "Hold on: We're going to rescue you!" She swung her sledgehammer at the bars. Oddly, the impact was bounced off from the bars, sending Cress's attack to the wall. As they looked back at the bars, a barrier was now visible in front of it.

"I've already tried to break out, but this enchantment is really strong. Not even artes have an effect…" Manaphy told them.

" _Va rei ze tue neu tue riou tue croa."_

As the sound began to be heard, the barrier started to wobble. Manaphy, Van, Cress and Rain noticed this sudden effect. "The barrier… is being weakened! I think that your attacks can now work!" Manaphy said. He quickly stood back at the wall of the cell as Cress and Van grabbed their weapons.

"Alright! Crushing Earth!" Cress shouted.

"Demon Fang!" Van shouted.

The two artes struck the bars, causing it to break apart. "Th-Thank you very much!" Manaphy said, getting out of the cell. "Now, I need to find the Seed!" He said. Cress raised a paw to stop Manaphy. "Wait, what is this 'Seed'?"

"The Seed… is a structure that is created in order to produce Shadows. One of these 'Seeds' is planted in the ruins, and I must find it!" Manaphy told her. As he spoke, Vanille suddenly collapsed on the floor. Van noticed this immediately. "It happened again." Van said, carrying Vanille.

"What do you mean?" Rain asked.

"Whenever Vanille sang the Fonic Hymn, she suddenly loses all of her consciousness after finishing it." Van said. "…At least, that is what is happening currently."

"Oh, and Manaphy." Cress said. "Phione is here on this island."

"Phione? What's my brother doing here?"

"We're not sure…" Cress answered.

"Hmm…" Manaphy closed his eyes. "Hmm… I can feel his presence… He must be in these ruins!"

"We should go, right now." Cress said, walking to the exit.

"Wait!"

"Hm? What is it?" Rain asked.

Manaphy headed over to the wall at the opposite of the exit. "…Tide Bullet!" Manaphy released a giant bullet of water that smashed the wall apart. As the dust settled down, a passageway was revealed from behind the wall. "This will take us to the lower levels." Manaphy explained. "The Seed's definitely at the lower levels! We have to hurry!" Van, Cress and Rain followed him down the passageway.

'… I just hope that Phione is okay…' Manaphy thought as he headed down the passageway.

* * *

"We still haven't found anything about the Shadows' growing place…" Luca sighed. "Did we take a wrong turn somewhere…?"

"No, there's no mistaking it." Arturo said. "This is definitely the lowest level of the ruins. And… I feel an ominous presence." He sighed. "For a strange reason… I could feel a grim melody… It's not unlike…" As their heads looked forward, a figure dashed past the corridors in front of them.

"Oh! That's…!" Luca chased after the silhouette that vanished within the corridor. As everyone gave chase, the group soon enters a large room that was no different than the other rooms. Now, an aquatic sprite was looking in front of itself, turning around. "Not here either…" The water sprite said.

"Phione!" Luca shouted. The water sprite was startled, turning around and saw the group.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?!" Phione asked, shocked of their presence. He stared at them, cautious. "Oh, I get it… You're Shapeshifters… posing as explorers!"

"Wait, what?!" Luca asked.

Raising his hand, Phione summoned a wand out of water. "I can't afford to get caught here!"

"Aaah! Stop him!" Luca said, pulling out his staff. Everyone else prepared their weapons in order to last through this misunderstanding.

 **Sea Guardian**

 **Phione**

"Blessed Drops!" Phione shouted, a large drop of water appearing from the air. Quickly looking up, the party separated themselves to prevent getting hit by the spell.

"Demon Fang! Double Demon Fang!" Alvin swirled both gunblades to the ground and generated the land-crossing projectiles. Phione quickly manoeuvred and avoided the projectiles. "Freeze Lancer!" Phione summoned a set of ice projectiles, aiming at Luca.

"Ah!" Luca swung his staff. "Rise as a torrential jet! Aqua Wall!" Luca summoned a rising jet of water from the ground to block the incoming spell. As the spell ended, Luca faced Phione. "Stop! We're not your enemies! We're supposed to find you!"

"Find me? So that you can capture me?!" Phione said.

"No! That's not the reason why we are here!" Heart said.

"I don't believe you!"

"Phione!" A voice shouted. Phione instantly recognized it.

"M-Manaphy?!" Phione gasped. He closed his eyes and reopened them. "It really is you!" As Manaphy appeared from the corridor, the siblings hugged each other. "You're safe…" Manaphy and Phione said at the same time.

"Phew…" Luca said, wiping his forehead.

"Luca! Elazul! Arturo! Alvin! Heart!" Cress, Van and Rain appeared from behind Manaphy. Van was carrying Vanille, who was still unconscious. Phione looked behind Manaphy. "Who are they?"

"These nice people saved me. I would have stayed locked up in the cells if they hadn't been here." Manaphy said. "And those people behind you must be their comrades."

"Comrades?!" Phione turned around and bowed down. "Oh, I am so sorry for attacking all of you!"

"We forgive you!" Luca said.

"No! I am greatly sorry! I thought that you were Shapeshifters! And I didn't even bother to use my senses to detect your aura!" Phione said.

"We already said that we forgive you!" Luca repeated once again.

* * *

"This is the Seed?" Luca said. The party has followed Manaphy to the room where he said the Seed was. The Seed has the same structure as before from the Elder Grotto. "How do we destroy it…?" Luca walked around the Seed.

"I'm not sure." Manaphy said.

"Demon Fang!" Van swung his broadsword at the Seed. But the arte had no effect at all.

"Looks like artes have no effect." Phione said.

"Nnnnn…" Vanille began to open her eyes. Van noticed her return to reality and placed her down, allowing her to stand. "…Where are we?" She asked. "Oh, Luca! And all of you! Huh…?"

She looked down and dug through her bag, taking out her Opal. It was now radiating with a glow. "Oh, Vanille!" Luca said, noticing her. "We're figuring out how to destroy this Seed… Huh?" He dug through his robe pockets, taking out his Sapphire. Van released the Ruby and let it rest on his hand. Soon, Elazul took out his Aquamarine, Arturo took out his Emerald, Cress took out her Topaz and Heart took out her Tourmaline. Alvin looked down and reached for his coat pockets, taking out an orange-coloured crystal, an Amber. All of the jewels were all glowing. In a split second, the gems gave out a brilliant glow, covering the whole room. When the glow ended, the Seed was completely obliterated.

"…Huh? What happened?" Luca wondered, but he suddenly felt something strike his head. It was not physically, but mentally.

"Nnnngh…" Luca suddenly collapsed on the floor. The throbbing feeling in his head and the sudden exhaustion. He knew what was coming next.

"Luca!" was all he could hear before he blacked out.

 **Chapter 13 End**

* * *

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Avenger (He must pay for what he has done to my brother…)**

 **Weapon: Partisan (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Experienced Mage** **(A careful throughout learning of spells is a step closer to being a great mage.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff (Staff)**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Ranger (Further use of the bow has led to a more experienced grasp through the bow.)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow (Bow)**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Broadsword User (Growing experience comes from using the broadsword from a longer period of time)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword (Broadsword)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Nimble Tune (The experience of using a Sword Lute shows a gradual growth of the fine music and swift combat.)**

 **Weapon: Rhythmic Tune (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda (Flaffy) – Ironing Board (…in a nutshell, the women that are worried about their chests.)**

 **Weapon: Spirus' Sledge (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood (Audino) – Healer (A magic user capable of healing magic)**

 **Weapon: Healing Rod (Rod)**

 **Alvin (Diggserby) – Mercenary (A soldier who is paid to fight)**

 **Weapon: Revolver (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Guest Character:**

 **Rain Coral (Frillish) – Professor**

 **Weapon: Aquatic Rod (Rod)**

 **And that's the end of Chapter 13. Now, I am not going to say any longer, but… here's two skits.**

 **Skit: Ruin Mode Pt.1**

 **(Rain in an excited mood)**

 **Cress: "How long is she going to stay over there?"**

 **Vanille: "I'm not sure." (curious) "If only Luca was here… Maybe he would know…"**

 **Van: "But at most, our progress would be greatly hampered by another 'Ruin Mode' character."**

 **Cress & Vanille: "I guess you're right."**

 **Rain: "Ooh… Just feel this statue… It must have gone through countless of ages in this place…"**

 **Van: (closes eyes) "…Hmm…"**

 **Skit: Ruin Mode Pt.2**

 **Luca: (excited, then depressed) "No! Such an invaluable cultural treasure! These poor ruins…"**

 **Heart: "Are you really upset that these ruins are… ruined?"**

 **Luca: "What? Of course I am! Don't you feel that strange feeling of the history of the Seabed Ruins?!"**

 **Alvin: "Oops." (shattering of an object)**

 **Luca: (shocked, then angered) "*gasps* Alvin! How could you!"**

 **Alvin: (surprised) "Wait, what?"**

 **Luca: "Aqua Edge!"**

 **Alvin: (shocked) "Woah! Luca! Stop attacking me!" (moves around continuously)**

 **Elazul: "….Kh."**

 **Arturo: (curious) "Hmm… Is this the consequence of Ruin Mode?"**

 **Elazul: "…."**

 **Heart: "My… Luca can be really frightening in Ruin Mode…"**


	15. Chapter 14:Truth

**Tales of Faith**

 **Past Arc: Creation**

 **Chapter 14: Truth**

 _I stood by behind the door. And he is in front of me._

 _As I gazed at the metallic door, I could see a faded reflection of myself. For all I know throughout my growth. My body is at a height of 4' 11'' and it has always remained at that height. My body was completely red. My violet eyes looked at my thin red arms with a light red pointed claw. There was a light red band on my abdomen as well. And I noticed that there was something on my back. It looked like something that was to release something…_

 _But…_

"… _Rose?" Father asked, before yawning loudly. He was clearly exhausted from work. "What are you doing at this hour? You should get some sleep before 10 p.m."_

" _It's actually 1 a.m." I told him._

" _Is it?" He looked at me in a surprised fashion. Then, he pulled out a pocket watch from his pockets. "…Oh. It is 1 a.m. Have I been up this late…?" He rubbed his eyes before letting out another yawn._

"… _Who am I?" I asked. My father looked at me, confused. "Rose? Why are you asking that? You are my son, after all." He said._

"… _Who am I, really? ...You dropped this in my room." I said, reaching out for the parchment on my back, and showing it to him._

" _Ah, my diary!" My father said, taking the book from my hands. "I couldn't find it yesterday! It's a fine thing that you didn't read it, since it is rude to look through other people's belongings!" He looked at me with a calm smile, but soon noticed the… it was called serious… face that I had._

" _You didn't read it… right?" He asked._

"… _Who am I?" was my reply. "I want to know the truth! Who am I?! Who is this 'Bass'?!"_

" _Rose…"_

" _WHO AM I?! AM I A MINDLESS WEAPON?!" I screamed. I gasped, upon hearing those words said by myself. My father looked at me with shocked eyes. "…S-S-Sorry…" I said._

" _Rose…" My father looked at me with regretful eyes. "…Alright. It's time that you know the truth." He faced the keyboard and typed rapidly, changing the screen to show other files. Looking at the screen, I stared at the many files that were focused on me. On my life._

" _Project Genesect." My father said. "This living organism that was reborn from a fossil that was found at a dig site proved to have superior capabilities. The scientists modified its abilities so that it would be stronger and much more powerful than any other Pokémon known… After a few months, the Genesect showed us something unique: It generated a weapon right in front of our very eyes. This was obviously phenomenal… We never seen anything like this before… So, we came up with the name for your ability to conjure weapons, it was called the Drive Arsenal."_

 _I extended my hand and a sword was summoned in front of me. The both of us remained silent as we watched the sword float between us. I flicked my hand, and the sword vanished._

"… _And… who's Bass?"_

" _Bass… he was my son." Father sighed. "…Like you, he had a curious personality, wanting to explore new possibilities and find out more about the world… And I supported his dream. I nurtured him until he was old enough to go on an adventure. And a journey he did go on… It was his first… and his last. After a week passed, I heard news about the group being completely annihilated. I could never find my son…"_

"… _But I was a fool. How could I think that you could ever replace my son?" Father sighed. "Even if you have a splitting personality like Bass, I… I was a blind fool who grieved over the loss of his son…"_

 _We remained silent once again. But… am I… a weapon…? What… is my meaning… of birth?_

"… _You must leave."_

"… _Huh?"_

 _He turned back to the computer and hit a lot of buttons on the keyboard. The entire room was suddenly covered in a veil of red light. He quickly headed over towards me, grabbing my shoulders. "… No one must know of your truth. I can't let you become a weapon. You deserve a better life than this…" He breathed silently, before he embraced me in a hug._

"… _Goodbye, Rose." He said. I wasn't sure what to do by now, but I decided to wrap my arms on his back as well. I started to feel my back being… the term was fiddled, but I didn't mind._

"… _Father…?" I could only mutter._

"… _I can no longer bear that name…" Soon, after my father's words, messages started to appear right in front of my vision._

 _HIGH-SPEED FLIGHT FORM ACTIVATING._

 _AUTOMATIC SYSTEM ACTIVATED._

 _ERASING ALL CURRENT MEMORIES._

 _MAIN SYSTEM SHUTING DOWN__

* * *

… _Whose memories are these…?_

 _They don't belong to me…_

 _But, why…_

 _Why do they come to me…?_

 **Chapter 14 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Rose (Genesect *) – Weapon ("Who am I?!")**

 **Weapon: Weapons (Drive Arsenal)**

 **And… that's the end of the third chapter of the Past Arc. The next Past Arc chapter ends the Creation part.**


	16. Chapter 15:Origin of the Bearers

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 15: Origin of the Bearers**

"Ugh…"

Sara groaned as she began to regain consciousness. 'What is this place…?' she thought, analysing the unknown place from around her.

"…You're finally awake…"

Sara turned to the direction of the voice, which belong to none other than Dhaos, the Demon King. He gazed at her from the other side of the room with a frown.

"You…!" Sara gasped. "At Fulger Spiral, you…!"

"...Forgive me for taking you like this." Dhaos said in a calm tone and his frown dissipated into a hurt look. The sudden change somehow surprised Sara. Rumours have always peg Dhaos as cold and ruthless. But when Sara looked at him, she saw… softness?

"….Dhaos?" Sara asked cautiously. "Why… are you doing this…?"

"…This world has already been corrupted by the mortal mind." Dhaos said. "In order for this world to change, I must do this for the sake of a new future. A new future… where peace reigns… and maybe… my ne-" Dhaos suddenly became silent after those words. Sara didn't say anything, realizing that she shouldn't peg him further. "…We shall go." Dhaos said.

"Huh?" Sara asked.

"Our next destination… is to find the Serpentine." Dhaos answered.

* * *

"Nnnnn…" Luca rubbed his head. He looked around. He was in a comfortable room. It had a feeling… of the ocean. "Hmm…? I thought that we were in the Seabed Ruins… Oh! Where are the others?" He paused when he looked at himself.

"…EYAH!" He realized that he wasn't wearing his robes. He looked around rapidly, wondering where his robes were placed at. His clothing was resting on a nearby table. "Phew…" Luca sighed with relief. He hurriedly took the robes and put them on quickly. Grabbing his hat, he wore it carefully. He looked around the room once again. "Hmm… I dunno about this place… so I'd better check out the rest of the place."

Luca reached out for the handle of the door. But, before he could touch it, the door swung open and struck him since he was too close. "OW!" Luca shouted. At the other side of the door, was Vanille with a shocked expression.

"Ah! Luca! I'm so sorry!" Vanille said. "…Huh?" She paused before her face turned to an excited face. "You're awake now!"

"I…I think so…" Luca responded, rubbing his face. "Anyway… where are we?"

"We're at Ad Libitum." Vanille answered.

"Ad Libitum?!"

"Costa Island has an Ad Libitum." Vanille told him. "Elazul told us that there are a lot of guilds around the region!" She clasped her hands. "…Oh! I nearly forgot! Since you're awake, everyone's waiting at the library section of this Ad Libitum!"

"A library?!" Luca shouted in excitement. "Let's go!" He ran off ahead.

"Wait, Luca! The library's at the other direction!" Vanille said. Luca stopped running and returned to her. "Ehehe…" He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "So… Could you lead me there? I kinda get lost, even in the Ad Libitum that I am in…"

"M-Me?!" Vanille gasped, a blush forming on her face. "Umm… I guess so… I mean, of course, I mean… Uhh…" Her nervous words trailed off shortly. Luca looked at her with a confused face. "…Huh?" he said. "Vanille? What's wrong?"

"Ah! It's just… nothing." Vanille said. "Uh… Where were we? Oh! I'm supposed to bring you to the library! Alright! Follow me!" Luca followed Vanille to the library, although he stopped momentarily to look at the decorations of the guild in pure glee. The moment they opened the doors to the library, a female voice rang through the room.

"WE JUST TOLD YOU EIGHTEEN DAMM TIMES!" Cress shouted, trying to punch the old Carracosta. "HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU WANT US TO SAY IT UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY REMEMBER OUR NAMES?!"

"Cress! Please calm down!" Arturo shouted, holding Cress from advancing towards Histor with both his arms and vines. "Let us hear the words of the past rather than a barbaric scene of the present."

"Barbaric?!" Cress shouted.

"Wow! This library! It's so big! This is so awesome!" Luca gasped in glee. He headed over to one of the bookshelves near him and grabbed a random book, looking through it excitedly. He placed the book carefully back to where it belongs before heading over to another bookshelf.

"Luca loves books, doesn't he?" Vanille concluded, watching Luca's childlike activity.

Elazul said nothing as he walked towards Luca, taking his spear out and striking Luca on the head with the pole. "Ow!" Luca rubbed his head.

"…You're too noisy." Elazul said, taking a seat.

"Sheesh…" Luca continued to rub his head as he joined the others. As he looked around the table, there was the rest to the party, Rain and a Carracosta and a male Frillish unfamiliar to him.

"I believe we never met." The Frillish said to Luca. "I'm Maestro Coral. I'm the younger brother of Rain." Turning his head over to the elder Carracosta, he continued. "And this is our Guild Master, Histor Aquos. Now then…" Maestro floated over to a bookshelf and pulled out a large book from the shelves. Floating back down, he placed the book on the table. The cover of the book nearly looked like it was rotting in the air.

"Hmm? What is this?" Alvin said.

"Oh, this book…" Histor walked slowly and examined the book.

"You chose this?" Rain asked, examining the book as well.

"Well, they seem to know a lot about the black blobs, or Shadows." Maestro told them. "So, I thought that this book would do for them!"

"Hmm… The Origin of the Bearers?" Arturo asked.

"Oh! I know this book!" Luca said.

"Now, can I get into reading it?" Maestro said, turning over the book's cover. An amount of dust is released in the air, prompting Maestro to wave his tentacle to clear it. He looked down at the book and began to read its' text aloud.

" **Long ago, an evil force has travelled around the world as a plague. This plague had no actual form; it devoured all that was in its' path. Even the gods had trouble in defeating this plague. All the gods could do is to create weapons in order to fight the menacing force. The mortal world, hearing the gods' words, called out an individual Pokémon that was called the 'Chosen'.**

 **The Chosen was to embark on a journey in order to find Pokémon that were destined by the weapons from the heavens to be their wielders. The weapon wielders were called the 'Crystal Bearers'. There was one more individual that followed them. The individual, however, did not bear a crystal. But this individual, had this special ability. This individual was able to fuse the crystals with itself and obtain powers that comes from the said crystals. This individual was named the 'Crystallizer'. The Chosen, having assembled the Crystal Bearers and Crystallizer, fought back against the Shadows.**

 **Despite the combined powers, there was still struggles against the enemy forces. Thus, the Crystallizer, sought out for a method. It was to be called the 'Cleansing'. The Crystallizer gathered the power of nature through a sap brimming vigorously with life, the power of lightning through a container that held it, the power of water through the cleansed waters of the world and lastly, the power of fire through a mineral that had the power of scorching flames. The Cleansing was successful, and weakened the enemy forces.**

 **Eventually, the war of the heroes and darkness came to an end. The dark plague was never seen again, along with its' leader. The leader had only a name: The Traitor to Heaven. After the war, the weapons turned into gems and scattered themselves around the world, to find a place to rest. Who will know, when the plague returns?"**

Maestro stopped reading after that. "…This book is too old. I can't make out the rest of the words…" He said. As he looked at the group in front of him, they were all in thought.

"Nature… The sap of Yggdrasill…" Arturo said.

"Lightning… From Fulger Spiral." Cress said.

"Does that mean… he must have got the water?" Luca said.

"If there was a Seed in Costa Island, then he must have got something of a valuable quality." Elazul said.

"Solid water." Manaphy said. "It's a mineral of water in solid state. It's not ice, but crystalized ores of solid water were at Seabed Ruins…"

"So that means that he has three out of four…" Heart concluded.

"Where do we go next? What has the affinity of fire?" Vanille asked.

"…I have a rough idea, let's go to the flaming city of Ignis." Van suggested. "My aunt may know more about this Cleansing. But I must warn you: she is rather… strange."

"Your aunt?" Vanille said.

"If you had an aunt, then why doesn't she stay with you?" Heart asked.

"Like I said: she is… strange."

"How do we get to Ignis?" Luca asked.

"Ignis is located pretty far from here, but we can take a variety of transports to get to Ignis. I would recommend a train ride at the R.D.S. Station." Van told Luca.

'Thank goodness it's not a ship…' Cress thought silently.

"Hey, I'm gonna follow all of you." Alvin said.

"Huh?" Luca asked.

"You are all interesting. Guess it looks like I'm hired for free this time." Alvin waved his hands. "Now, let's go."

"Hmm? You're leaving?" Histor asked.

"Well… uhh…" Luca started to say.

"Yes." Cress said. "If we want to stop the Demon King, then we have to head to him and put an end to his plot."

"Hmm…" Histor put a fin carefully on his head. "…..I forgot all of you."

"That's our Guild Master…" Rain and Maestro said.

"…It's no problem, geezer." Cress said. "I've already had enough of you."

"Hmm? What would that be?"

"Just forget it…"

"Do any of you have a Guardian Emblem?" Phione asked. Luca nodded and showed his Guardian Emblem. "Perfect!" Manaphy said. "Once we concentrate our powers, we can send all of you back to Lake Purity! But the landing is going to be rough…" The party, excluding Alvin, flinched as they remembered the last time they used the Guardian Emblem to return.

"All right." Manaphy and Phione placed their hands on the Guardian Emblem. "O spirits that travel around the world, send us to the place we wish to embark on!" The siblings chanted. "Now, let us advance!" The Guardian Emblem gave off a bright glow that covered the group. As it faded away, the group was no longer in the library.

"Hmm…" Histor started to wonder. "I think… that I've met them somewhere before…"

* * *

"…HYAAAH!" In the lobby of Lake Purity, the group members appeared one by one from the air, landing roughly on the floors or tables. "Is this what they called 'rough landing'?" Alvin groaned, rubbing his back.

"Wait, where's Luca?" Vanille wondered.

"That's strange…" Luca said. "Everything's all upside down this time…"

"…Only because you are the one who's upside down." Elazul said. Luca's head was resting on the floor while his body lied at a wall.

"…Oh." Luca said. He tilted and his body landed on the floor.

"…When are we going to fix the Guardian Emblem?!" Azelf said. He and the other Lake Guardians were at the lobby. "Oh! Manaphy! Phione!" Mespirit said. "You're all right!"

"Yes! We're fine!" Manaphy and Phione said.

"So… what happened?" Uxie asked.

"Well… this is what happened during our travel to Costa Island…" Luca began as he began to recite the events in Costa Island.

 **End Chapter 15**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Avenger (He must pay for what he has done to my brother…)**

 **Weapon: Partisan (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Bookworm (His dedication towards books… may be too addictive.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff (Staff)**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Single-minded (Just one absolute single belief. The title is given to a very single-minded person)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow (Bow)**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Broadsword User (Growing experience comes from using the broadsword from a longer period of time)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword (Broadsword)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Nimble Tune (The experience of using a Sword Lute shows a gradual growth of the fine music and swift combat.)**

 **Weapon: Rhythmic Tune (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda (Flaffy) – Ironing Board (…in a nutshell, the women that are worried about their chests.)**

 **Weapon: Spirus' Sledge (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood (Audino) – Healer (A magic user capable of healing magic)**

 **Weapon: Healing Rod (Rod)**

 **Alvin (Diggserby) – Mercenary (A soldier who is paid to fight)**

 **Weapon: Revolver (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Chapter 15's done. I apologize for this incredibly short chapter.**

 **Skit: A One-Track Mind**

 **(Have Vanille use an arte repeatedly 10 times in a battle)**

 **Vanille: (excited) "All right! The bow's all ready!"**

 **Van: "Hold on, Vanille."**

 **Vanille: (normal) "Huh?"**

 **Van: "I realized that in the last battle, you have been repeatedly using an arte."**

 **Vanille: "Yeah…?"**

 **Van: "What I am trying to say is that the enemies that we may face may be resistant to the arte that you used. Isn't it better to use different artes?"**

 **Vanille: "So…?"**

 **Van: (defeated) "Ugh, I give up."**

 **Luca: (enters) "Hey! What are you guys doing?"**

 **Vanille: (excited) "Oh! Van told me to use the same arte the next time we are in battle!"**

 **Luca: (happy) "Oh! I get it! All right! I will use Aqua Edge from now on!"**

 **Van: "Please, not you too…"**

 **(Vanille obtains the title 'Single-minded')**


	17. Chapter 16:A Train's Ride

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 16: A Train's Ride**

Luca, Vanille, Elazul, Van, Arturo, Heart, Cress and Alvin took seats on the benches at the train station in R.D.S. The train was to arrive soon and its' destination is Ignis, the flaming city. About an hour ago, they had already finished explaining to the Lake Guardians about the events that conspired at Costa Island.

" _Hmm… I get it." Uxie said. "So… you're all heading to Ignis."_

" _Yes." Luca said. "Maybe, if we find the last material of the Cleansing, we may find Dhaos as well and defeat him!"_

" _Hmm…" Uxie looked like he was in deep thought. "…Very well. I don't know how dangerous it will be considering that you might be in Dhaos's way, but… if you can, you must stop him."_

" _Yeah!"_

Luca's feet swung as he waited for the train to arrive. "Uwah... Bored…" He mumbled. He left the bench and headed over to Arturo, who was busy strumming his sword lute. "…Hmm? Luca? What is it?" Arturo said, noticing the mage's presence.

"Uhh…" Luca started to say, but he shook his head. "It's nothing." Arturo looked at him, confused. Luca then moved to Cress and Heart. "What is it, Luca?" Heart asked.

"Uhh…" Luca began, but he shook his head. "Nothing…"

"Are you sure?" Cress asked.

"It really is nothing…" Luca told them and left. He was now beside Elazul. As usual, Elazul paid no attention to him. "…Never mind." Luca moved on and he sat beside Van. Van noticed his presence, but didn't say anything. Luca looked down, a sigh escaping his mouth.

"Luca, there's something bothering you, isn't there?" Van suddenly said.

Luca was immediately startled by Van's words. "Wha-?" He began. "Uhh… well…"

"If you're not comfortable in telling it, then don't." Van said.

"Uhh…"

A loud sound blared in the station. "The train to Ignis has arrived! Passengers who are heading to Ignis, please board the train." A voice through the loudspeaker said after the sound.

"Never mind. The train's here." Van said, standing up. As everyone faced their left, a large train started to decelerate as it arrived at the platform.

"Wow… So that's a train…" Vanille said in awe.

"What? You never saw a train?" Alvin said.

"Nope. It's my first time seeing one…"

"Well, let's board the train, right?" Luca said. The group boards the train along with several other passengers heading to the same destination. Of course, some passengers departed from the train having arrived at their apparent destinations.

"Van, you talked about Ignis back there at Costa Island's Ad Libitum, have you been to Ignis before?" Heart asked.

"Yes, when Sara and I were younger, and when our parents were still alive, we would head over to Ignis to visit our aunt." Van said. He looked upset upon mentioning Sara, but he shook his head. He looked around the car they were in. "There are some seats over there." He pointed out. "There are only three in this car. And Heart looks like she wants to know about Ignis, so… who will join us?"

"I will." Cress said.

"Cress…" Heart began to say.

"It's not because I'm worried about you!" Cress said. "I have this feeling to make sure that you are kept from harm's way!"

"In other words, you're worried about Heart." Van said.

"Ngh… Anyway, let's just sit right now!" Cress grumbled, taking a seat while Van and Heart took their seats. Luca, Vanille, Elazul, Arturo and Alvin moved on to the next car. The next car was the dining car. A fair amount of passengers was having their meals. Moving towards the next car, it was a sleeping car. Alvin and Arturo took seats there while the rest moved on to the next car, which was another passenger car. "Ela-" Luca said.

"…." Elazul didn't reply, taking the only empty seat in the car. He immediately faced away from Luca upon sitting.

"…I wanna take that seat…" Luca finished. "Okay… Last car…" He and Vanille moved to the last car. It was the observation car. The observation car had the appearance of a comfortable lounge. Luca and Vanille took the seats of an empty couch.

Luca rummaged through his robes. "Hmm… It's here somewhere…" he said to himself. As Luca searched through his robes, Vanille took a look outside the window beside them. It was a lush scenery of green, which was soon covered by brown as the train entered the mountains track. Vanille rubbed her head. 'I think I remember seeing this place… But… at the same time… I don't remember seeing this place…'

"Ah! There it is!"

Vanille looked away from the window and turned to see Luca beginning to a large tome. He hummed softly to himself as he read. Vanille looked at the door leading to the other cars. '…Maybe I should check on everyone else…' she thought, leaving the couch and walking to the door. Entering the second passenger car, she looked over to the seat Elazul was at. She walked up to him slowly, careful not to disturb the other passengers.

"Uhh…" Vanille began.

"…What?" Elazul said, noticing her.

"It's…" Vanille said. "Why are you so mean to Luca?"

"…" Elazul didn't say anything.

"When I met you… all you have been doing to Luca when neither of you are in battles is ignoring him." Vanille explained. "Why are you ignoring him? Isn't he your closest friend? I mean, friends should get along together… right?"

"…What? Luca asked you to tell me that?" Elazul asked with an ignorant voice, but there was a sense of hate in his tongue.

"No… I was the one who wanted to know…" Vanille said. "Unlike you… Luca's really nice and kind… He's addicted to books… Everywhere he visits… he brims with curiosity. He may have plenty of faults… like falling down… but… he's… really good… You… on the other hand… you don't greet anyone you meet… you ignore mostly everyone…"

"Stop. Right now."

"Luca had to see his father leave him during a great battle! Did you know how he felt after losing his father? He felt… really sad…" Vanille continued. "I don't know whether you ever saw your father like you say you don't…"

"…DON'T COMPARE ME TO LUCA!"

Elazul's sudden shout caught the whole car's attention. Elazul looked at the attention he caught. "…What?" The other passengers started to mutter as they resumed their activities.

"…It's none of your business of what you think of me. Leave me alone." He turned away from Vanille after his sentence. Vanille looked at him, then shook her head as she moved to the next car.

"Arturo? Alvin?" Vanille asked as she looked around the sleeping car. Alvin took notice of Vanille's call. Arturo, on the other hand, was sleeping silently on his seat. "Hmm? Vanille?" Alvin said.

Vanille neared Alvin's seat. "I… wanted to know what you're doing now…" Vanille said.

"Nothing much." Alvin said. "Just relaxing and stuff like that…"

"Oh…Okay…Err…" Vanille headed over to the next car. Once she was gone, Alvin took out a sheet of written paper and a pencil. Placing them down on a pull-out table, he began to write. "Let's see…'My dearest…I am now currently on a journey with other people I've met for the first time…'"

Vanille took a look around the dining car. Seems like no one else from the group has entered the dining car to grab a bite. "Oh!" Vanille didn't realise that she bumped onto someone. "Oh… Sorry…" Vanille said, turning her head to the one she bumped on. "…Oh?" she said. The stranger was taller than Vanille. He wore a black shirt along with a black long-sleeved jacket on his torso. He had a set of black shoes accompanied by black jeans. He had a black top hat, which the front covered his eyes. Now that she was close enough, she could see that his hair was actually a mane. It was red from the beginning, but as it descended, it was gray for the rest. A teal bangle was tied at the end, making the mane resemble a ponytail. But overall… Vanille recognised him.

"You're… that gambler I saw at Roundome Station a few nights ago…" Vanille said. The stranger reached for his jacket pocket, and took out a coin, flipping it at a steady rhythm.

"…Hm?" The stranger said. "Have I met you before?"

"Uhh…" Vanille rubbed her head. 'That IS a good question… Have I met him before I saw him at Roundome Station?' She thought.

"Maybe… I may have seen you before… Maybe I have not." The stranger said. "So… What's your name?"

"Me? Please call me Vanille." Vanille said.

"Vanille… Ah… there's a girl that I've met with this sweet name for the first time." The stranger said.

"So… What is your name?" Vanille asked.

"My name? I won't tell you." The stranger replied.

"That's not fair…" Vanille said.

"Hey… I never said that I would give my name if you tell yours." The stranger said.

"Uhh… That makes sense…"

"So…" The stranger stopped flipping the coin, pushing his hat slightly. "Are you perhaps, busy for the day?" he asked.

"I see…" The stranger said. "Perhaps… you might be interested in a walk with me?"

"…Huh? Oh!" Vanille was surprised when her hands were suddenly touching the stranger's paws. "My darling kitten, I hope that bump didn't hurt." The stranger said.

"No, it didn't…"

"Ah, alright." He scratched his chin. "There are plenty of places for a walk… So… how will I plan the walk…?"

"Umm… Thank you… but… I… don't want to walk with you…" Vanille said.

"You don't need a walk?" The stranger asked. "Oh… I see… there's someone you have your heart stolen by…"

"Um, no! It's nothing like that!" Vanille said.

"Not to fear. Not to fear..." The stranger dismissively waved his paws. "Leave it all to me; the apex predator of the jungle of love."

"Hey!" A voice called out.

Vanille looked behind the stranger. Standing behind the stranger was none other than the Paladin of the group. "Cress!" Vanille said.

"Vanille, who is this guy?" Cress said.

"Oh, err…" Vanille started to say. "He called himself a 'apex predator of the jungle of love'."

"Who is minding his business…" The stranger said. Cress was looking at him. 'Somehow… he looks familiar…' she thought as she scanned his appearance. The stranger notices her actions and turns to face Vanille. "Sorry, my darling. It looks like I must take my leave now."

"Uhh…Will you forget me? Because… I think I will forget you…" Vanille said hesitantly.

"Hahaha… I would never forget a girl as beautiful as you…" The stranger said, snapping his claws. "Ciao, princess." The stranger headed to the door of the car, sliding it open and passing through to the other cars. Cress stared at the door, and shook her head. 'No… It must be my imagination…' She thought as she headed over to Vanille's side. "Vanille, are you alright?"

"Yes." Vanille said. "I really didn't understand what he said. He called me 'darling kitten', 'princess'… I don't get it… I don't belong to any of those, right?"

"Vanille… You do realize… that he was flirting with you, right?" Cress said.

"'Flirting'? What is that?" Vanille asked.

"Oh, Arceus…" Cress pressed a paw on her face. She drew her paw down, asking the following. "So… why aren't you with the others?"

"Oh… I wanted to know how everyone else are doing now." Vanille told Cress.

"I see." Cress said. "I'm going to eat here."

"Okay…" Vanille passed by Cress, entering the passenger car in front of her. Immediately heading over to Van and Heart's seats, she spoke. "Van! Heart!"

"Vanille?" Van said. "Haven't you found a seat yet?"

"No. I already found one." Vanille answered. "I just came here to see what everyone else is doing."

"Okay…" Heart said. "Van talked about Ignis. Once we reach there, he will bring us to his aunt's home."

"That's the plan for now." Van said. "What I think we should do next is…"

* * *

The train continued its' way on the tracks through the mountain terrain. As it passed through a tunnel, at a ledge above the other side of the tunnel, a figure with a black cloak rested there. A magic circle was already in place as he began to chant. "…In the name of the Gravekeeper, I call forth the tyrant beast that wreaks havoc in the past…" The magic circle began to glow ominously as a portal started to open above the train tracks.

"…Come forth, Behemoth!"

* * *

Vanille was at the next car. She wanted to do some exploration of the rest of the trains after talking with Van. A sigh escaped her mouth. 'What should I do…?' She faced the window of the car, which the dark environment began to vanish under the rays of light.

"Vanille!" When Vanille turned around, she was surprised to see Luca running up to her. Suddenly, the train came to a screeching halt. "Wah!" Luca immediately lost his balance and fell backwards.

"What was that?" Vanille wondered. She quickly helped Luca get up.

"Attention, passengers. This may be engine trouble." The voice through the speakers said. "Please remain in your seats while the conductor checks on it." The conductor soon steps out of the train after hearing the announcement, but shortly after…

"AAAAAAAAHHH!"

After the scream, the conductor reappears from outside. Luca and Vanille ran up to him. "What's wrong?" Vanille asked.

"It's a demon! A large black demon!" The conductor shouted.

"A black demon?!" Luca said. "That could be…!"

"Demon?!" One of the passengers shouted. No more than a second, the whole car was put into an chaotic uproar. "Please calm down!" The conductor attempted to calm down the ruckus. The train car was in such a state that the conductor didn't notice Luca and Vanille leaving the car. Stepping outside, they saw a large black quadruped creature right in front of the stopped train. The black mist it emanated was a dead giveaway on what it was.

"That's a Shadow!" Luca shouted.

The giant Shadow notices them and lets out a loud roar. Its' herculean presence was terrifying…

"A Shadow, here?!"

Vanille turned around to see the rest of the group outside the train. "So, that's what stopped the train." Elazul said, grabbing his lance.

"It's apparently called…" Luca said, scanning it with Inspect Magic. "…A Behemoth! It's a powerful Shadow!"

The Behemoth roars loudly, charging towards the group, who were all forced to run to avoid getting hit by it. "We can't fight here, especially when there are many innocents in this area!" Cress said after dodging it.

"Let's bring it to an area where we don't endanger those lives!" Arturo said. He held his sword lute in the playing position, playing a tune which catches the Behemoth's attention. He took steps slowly, as the Behemoth slowly advances towards him.

Finally, it gave a roar, charging towards Arturo. Arturo rolled to the side when it was almost near him. He changed his rhythm upon regaining his balance, this time the tune has a solemn edge. The Behemoth, upon hearing it, began to growl in disgust. "Alright! Everyone, time for an attack!" Arturo said.

"Okay!" Luca chanted. "O divine water, plunge down with sharpness! Aqua Edge!"

"Yes!" Heart said. "O brilliance, shine forth! Photon!"

The three water blades landed on the Behemoth's left leg, and the sphere of light that appeared in front of it blasted it with shining light. The Behemoth grunted as it shook the attacks off.

"Gale Shot!" Vanille released three green arrows at once. She quickly pointed her hand to the Behemoth upon executing Gale Shot. "O blessed wind, run my enemies through! Fairy Wind!" Vanille summoned a light gust of wind to attack the Behemoth.

"Twin Bullet!" Alvin shot multiple bullets at the Behemoth, scattering shells on the ground.

"Wait!" Van shouted. "None of our attacks are having an effect an all!" Van was right. Despite the attacks it received, the Behemoth was still standing, barely affected by the damage. Instead, it was more furious than ever as it roared angrily.

"Then what do we do?!" Cress said.

"Let me try this…" Van said, swinging his broadsword upwards. "Demon Fang!" The ranged projectile hits the back leg of the Behemoth, catching its' attention towards Van. "Alright." Van said, pointing his broadsword at the Behemoth. He simply moved his head to the right. The Behemoth started to scratch the ground with its' nails, before it charges towards Van. Van tightened his grip, waiting for it to come closer. Then, just as it was about to trample over him, Van dashed sideways to the left. He leaped up, making a slash at the side of the Behemoth's body.

"Haaaaaaaah!" Flames started to wrap around Van's broadsword. He landed on the Behemoth's back before jumping again. Grabbing the hilt tightly, he aimed his broadsword at the Behemoth. "Burning Phoenix… Devastation!" Thrusting his broadsword forward, two fire projectiles in the shape of a phoenix were released from his broadsword. The flames struck the back of the Behemoth, and it begins to roar loudly in pain. Van noticed this and looked at its' back as he began to descend downwards.

"There!" Van shouted. "I've found its' weak spot! It's the crystal on the back of its' head!"

"Alright!" Vanille drew an arrow, pointing it at the Behemoth. "Hell Pyre!" The arrow covered itself in flames as it was released from Vanille's bow. As the arrow made its' way to the Behemoth, Vanille realized that the distance was too long. 'Oh no! It won't make it!' Vanille thought.

An explosion occurred at the back of the Behemoth's head. It roared loudly, nearly collapsing on the ground as black smoke began to escape from its' head. Elazul flew upwards, throwing his spear at behind the Behemoth's head. It turned around, swinging its' tail. Elazul evaded the tail swing and landed on its' back. "Sovereign Gale!" He grabbed the spear and it released gusts of wind in the crystal, causing the Behemoth to shriek loudly on the attack, going in a rampage. Its' violent movements forced Elazul to get off its' back. It turned to the group, snarling with rage.

"It's still won't give up…?" Alvin said.

The Behemoth let out a loud roar. And suddenly, it stopped. The Behemoth started to turn around, and dashed, getting further away from the group. "Hey!" Luca said. "It's running away!"

"It's probably too weakened." Heart said. "For now, I think that we are safe."

"Anyway, let's head back to the train. We don't want them to think that we are gone, and they are gonna set off without us." Cress told the group. The group headed back to the train tracks. Fortunately, the train has not left. As they entered, Vanille was looking at the site of the battle.

'But…' Vanille thought. 'I am pretty sure that the attack didn't make it…' She shook her head as she entered the train.

At the end of the train, the black-attired stranger was resting at the door of the observation car. He was watching the scene, an onyx fireball floating on the tip of his nail. He gave a small grin, the fireball on his nail vanishing. A playing card was now balanced perfectly on his nail. He grabbed the card and placed it in his pocket, heading into the observation car.

* * *

Vanille was looking at the scenery from the window as the train continued its' progress to Ignis. Even though they have travelled a distance, she still couldn't remember anything. Yawning, she continued to watch the changing scenery as they got closer and closer to Ignis.

"Vanille!"

Vanille looked to her left to see Luca beside her. "Luca." She said.

"Have you recalled anything yet?" He asked. Vanille shook her head. Luca nodded. "Oh…" He handed food over to her. "Omelette Crepe?" he asked.

"Oh." Vanille took the fan-shaped food and took a bite. It was… quite exotic. It had a blend of vegetables and a melting sense of flavours. She was sure that she has never tried this food before.

"Thank you."

"Murh? (Huh?)" Luca said, his mouth stuffed with a crepe.

"I said, thank you." Vanille spoke. Luca swallowed his bites. "Ah, don't mention it! I thought that you were hungry after that battle…" he said.

"I mean…" Vanille said. "Thank you for having me on a journey. Probably I wouldn't have come close to regaining my memories if I hadn't met you and Elazul. You two were really helpful."

"Aw, shucks…" Luca smiled. "But Vanille, I wanted to know something."

"Something?" Vanille asked.

"It's like taking things too far… but… what if you don't like your past? Like, you don't accept it." Luca said. "I mean, that you might have a troubled and dark past. And you can't accept it?"

Vanille didn't say anything. She hasn't thought of that at all. All she was worried about was finding her memories. But the thought of a dark past has never come across her mind.

"I… I don't know…" Vanille said. "I really… don't know…"

"Umm…" Luca said, finishing the rest of his crepe. "But… I'll still help you find your memories, Vanille, I promise!"

"You will?" Vanille said out of surprise.

"Yeah, of course!"

Luca looked out of the window. "Hey! We're reaching Ignis!"

 **Chapter 16 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Avenger (He must pay for what he has done to my brother…)**

 **Weapon: Partisan (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Bookworm (His dedication towards books… may be too addictive.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff (Staff)**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Ironing Board (Congratulations, Vanille. You're now part of this group of females.)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow (Bow)**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Broadsword User (Growing experience comes from using the broadsword from a longer period of time)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword (Broadsword)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Nimble Tune (The experience of using a Sword Lute shows a gradual growth of the fine music and swift combat.)**

 **Weapon: Rhythmic Tune (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda (Flaffy) – Novice Slammer (A sledgehammer's still quite slow to use, but keep going! You'll get better!)**

 **Weapon: Spirus' Sledge (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood (Audino) – Healer (A magic user capable of healing magic)**

 **Weapon: Healing Rod (Rod)**

 **Alvin (Diggserby) – Mercenary (A soldier who is paid to fight)**

 **Weapon: Revolver (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Skit: Rising Phoenix Wrath**

 **Luca: "Van! That arte you pulled off was so cool!"**

 **Van: "Is it, really? Honestly… It's something that I haven't tried using before…"**

 **Luca: "What is that arte's name, anyway?"**

 **Van: "Its' name? Rising Phoenix Wrath."**

 **Luca: "…" (face changes to confused) "Huuuuhh?"**

 **Van: "What's wrong?"**

 **Luca: "It's Rising Phoenix Wrath… But earlier… you said 'Burning Phoenix Devastation' or something like that…"**

 **Van: "If you thought that was its' name, then why did you ask me in the first place?"**

 **Luca: (normal) "Hey, Vanille, come over here!"**

 **(Vanille arrives near Luca)**

 **Vanille: "What is it?"**

 **Luca: "Did you remember what Van said when he used that arte?"**

 **Vanille: "Yes. It was 'Burning Phoenix Devastation'."**

 **Luca: "But Van told me just now that its' name is Rising Phoenix Wrath!"**

 **Vanille: "Oh? Why are they different? Something's wrong with Van…"**

 **Van: (deadpan) "You guys are being mean to me…"**

 **Skit: That Monster… (after the Behemoth battle)**

 **Vanille: "Wow… that Behemoth was really strong…"**

 **Luca: "Yeah… A Behemoth's a strong foe… But…" (looks away)**

 **Cress: "But?"**

 **Luca: "I thought that Behemoths were extinct centuries ago." (Cress becomes alarmed) "Come to think of it… The Behemoth felt really undead-like."**

 **Vanille: "You mean… Do you think that the monster we faced was a ghost?"**

 **Luca: "Hmm… It definitely wasn't ectoplasmic… like a 'roaming of the dead' ghost…"**

 **Vanille: (depressed) "That's really scary…"**

 **(Vanille notices Cress shivering.)**

 **Vanille: (surprised) "Huh? Cress?"**

 **Cress: (shocked) "Wha-?"**

 **Vanille: "You were spacing out for a while… What's wrong?"**

 **Cress: "I-I definitely don't think that the Behemoth is a ghost!" (leaves)**

 **Luca: "Umm…"**

 **Vanille: "…?"**

* * *

 **Poor Cress... And Van...**


	18. Chapter 17:Kalvin Dymier

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 17: Kalvin Dymier**

 **Southern Isle**

 **The Flaming City of Ignis**

"Hurry up, Luca!" Elazul said. The train has already arrived at the city station. They were now in Ignis, the Flaming City. The whole group, except for Luca, were standing at the platform.

"Hold on!" Luca said, appearing from the doors. Then, his foot stepped on his robes. "WAAAAAAAAAH!" Luca stumbled and fell from the door. Fortunately, he managed to regain his balance for once in his life. But unfortunately, his feet landed on Elazul's with a hard stomp.

"….~~~~~~~~~~~!" Elazul did his best not to scream out loud.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Elazul!" Luca shouted in an over-apologetic tone.

"Firstly… get your feet off me!" Elazul said.

"O-Oh!" Luca jumped off from Elazul's feet. Elazul grumbled as he tried to shake off the pain. "You never had any sense of balance… *grumble*…"

"Everyone." Van said, closing his eyes. "We need to head over to my aunt's place. All of you, just follow me and don't wander off. Ignis is…"

He reopened his eyes, only to find that he was the only one at the station. "…an easy place to get lost." He sighed, leaving the platform of the train station. "Somehow… I get the feeling that Elazul had to go through this as well…" Upon reaching the exit of Ignis train station, Van had a clear view of Ignis. The buildings in the large city of ember were made from metallic materials. Vents were seen of the ground, and sometimes, a breeze of hot wind will come out. Also, Van saw Cress and Heart at the entrance of the station.

"You two!" Van headed over to them.

"Van!" Heart said. "Everyone has already left."

"And why didn't you stop them?!" Van asked.

"Number one: Luca and Vanille wanted to check out the whole place and were practically gone before we left the station." Cress said. "Number two: Arturo was feeling unwell through the heat and he went off to search for a cool place. Number three: Alvin had gone off, just like Luca and Vanille…"

"What about Elazul?" Van said.

"Elazul… In three words: 'Leave me alone.'" Cress replied.

"Ugh…." Van groaned. Not a moment too soon, and the whole party has already dispersed to different directions. "In any case… let's find the rest of the party and head over to my aunt's place." He said. "We should find Vanille and Luca first. Which direction did you say they went to again?"

"They went in that direction." Heart replied, pointing to the right.

"Okay, let's find them." Van said. "Just stay close to me."

* * *

"What an unpleasant environment…" Arturo said to himself. "How are the residents able to endure this searing heat?" He still hasn't found a place to cool off from this scorching environment. Taking his hat off, he wiped the sweat that accumulated on his head before putting his hat back on. "…Oh?" He looked ahead to see… Elazul. He was staring at skies.

"Elazul!" Arturo called out. The wyvern-like Spearman responded to his call by turning his head. "It's you, Arturo." He said.

"Yes. I do believe that we have something to do." Arturo said. "In any case, have you seen a place that isn't as hot as this entire city?"

"…Over there." Elazul pointed to a building. Arturo nodded. "Thank you…"

Elazul didn't say anything afterwards as Arturo went to the building. The Spearman winced as he felt a sharp pain in his left wing. Clutching it, he looked downwards. He gritted his teeth upon looking down. A small fume of black mist escaped from the ground, or to be exact, from his own shadow… It soon disappeared as the pain not from long ago subsided. "…Again…" He mumbled.

* * *

"Ugh…so hot…" Luca mumbled. "Ignis… is so hot…" It didn't take long enough for Luca to receive suffering via the high temperatures in Ignis.

"Are you alright, Luca?" Vanille asked.

"W-Water… N-Need water…" He mumbled.

"Water?" Vanille asked. "Ah! Use your water spells."

"Not that kind of 'water'…" Luca mumbled. "W-Water…"

"I think that maybe we should go over there!" Vanille suggested, pointing to a building. Luca looked at the building Vanille was pointing to. "A cooking center?" he said. "Finally… water…" Vanille nodded, entering the cooking center with Luca. Thankfully, the cooking center provided a water dispenser near the entrance for Pokémon to use. "Water…" Luca took a cup from the dispenser and filled it with water before gulping it all down in one mouthful… and he refilled it again… and again… and again…

"Ahh…" Luca said happily. "That hits the spot…"

"Hmmmm…" Vanille was looking at a board. "Luca, what is this?" she asked. Luca notices her question and looks at the board himself.

" **The 29** **th** **Cooking Contest begins here in Ignis**

 **Cooks who believes in their abilities,**

 **Come over and test your skills!**

 **-Kalvin Dymier"**

"Oh, it's a flyer for a cooking contest." Luca replied.

"Cooking?" Vanille wondered. "What is that?"

"Oh!" Luca faced Vanille. "You don't know what cooking is? Then let me explain! Cooking is something we can do during our free time! Did you remember some of the items we picked up along the way?"

"Hmm… I remember that we found eggs once…" Vanille recalled.

"Yup! After we collect ingredients, we can look at a recipe that we know of and prepare the dish stated in that recipe!" Luca said. "For example, eggs are a necessity for plenty of dishes, like Sandwiches."

"I see…" Vanille said. "And… who's this 'Kalvin Dymier'?"

Luca scratched his head. "I'm not sure… I've never seen him before… Hmm…" He finally recalled something. "Oh, I remember! I've seen Kalvin Dymier somewhere in a book before… they said that he's a scientist who works in Ignis. He is also familiar with history… if I remember… But I didn't really finish that book…"

Disposing the cup, Luca said, "Well, let's go! We've got to find the others now!"

* * *

"Elazul!"

Van, Cress and Heart has just found Elazul. "There you are." Van said. "Do you know where the others are?"

"Arturo's at that building." Elazul pointed to the building where Arturo is in.

Just as Elazul finished his sentence, the doors of the building that Elazul pointed to opened and Arturo left the building, now looking as calm as before. "Ah… That was refreshing…" Arturo commented. He noticed the rest of the party. "Oh, Cress, Heart, Van. And Alvin, too." Cress turned around to see that the mercenary has just arrived at the place as well.

"The only ones that are left are Luca and Vanille." Van said. "Where are they?"

* * *

"I think… we are lost…" Luca said. It didn't take this long either… for Luca's abysmal sense of direction to activate. "Uhh… Where should we go?" He wondered. "Umm…" He wandered around the streets with Vanille following him as they traversed Ignis.

"Where are the others?" Vanille wondered. "But we are supposed to find Van's aunt, right?"

"Hmm… We don't even know what she looks like! I wish I had asked him about that…" He sighed. Without realising what was ahead of him, he bumped into someone. "Ah!" Luca gasped, falling backwards.

"Oh! Are you alright, young Mage?" The figure said, helping Luca up.

"Yeah… thank you very much!" Luca said. The figure is a bipedal yellow fox-like Pokémon. It had black legs, white arms, face and neck with one dark orange tip at its' tail. Long dark orange wavy fur grew out of its' large ears. Overall, the figure is a Braxien. Also, it was noted that it wore a white coat, resembling a scientist's attire.

"Hmm…" The Braxien looked at Luca, then at Vanille. "Huh...?" Luca scratched his head. "What's up?"

"You two... somehow you seem like…" The Braxien began. Immediately, Vanille's face immediately turned a bright red. "Umm…" Vanille started to stutter. "Well… Umm…" Luca notices this and faces her, which caused her blush to intensify.

"Huh? What's wrong, Vanille? Why're you looking at me like that?" Luca asked.

"N-Nothing…" Vanille managed to regain her composure.

"So, if I were to guess, you two are lost?" Braxien said.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Luca said.

"Because I just heard you not long ago." Braxien replied with a smile. "So… why don't you stop by at my place? I could use a bit of assistance. And I can also help you to find whatever you are searching for!"

"Really?" Luca said. "Thanks a lot!"

"Then, can I borrow this?" Braxien bent down and picked up Luca's staff, which fell off after his fall.

"Huh? My staff?" Luca said.

"This, I need to check out. Hmm… made from fine oak… yes… I see…" she faced Luca. "I'm going to perform some synthesis on it, and I will make it stronger!"

"Synthesis?" Vanille wondered.

"Synthesis is the form where you put some stuff on an item to enhance the powers of the item you used in the process." Luca explained. "But… is it really safe?"

"Don't worry: I've got things under control! Alright, follow me, then!" Braxien gestured them to follow her. The building that Braxien brought them to was quite small, as compared to the rest of the buildings. Yet, it was quite a miracle that the metallic building didn't conduct the searing environment easily.

"Alright, make yourselves at home for a while!" Braxien said, entering a room. Luca and Vanille looked at each other. "So… what do you think we should help her with?" Vanille asked.

"If everyone else is here, then I think that…" Luca said. The main door opened, and behind it was the rest of the group.

"Luca?!" Cress said. "And Vanille?"

"You guys!" Vanille said. "This scientist found us and offered to help find your aunt!"

"Wait… did you say… scientist?" Van said.

"Oh?"

The Braxien returns from the room and notices the group, especially Van. Giving a warm smile, she said, "Van, good to see you!"

"Van, who is she?" Arturo asked. "Does she know your aunt?"

"That… is my aunt you're looking at." Van said.

Immediately, the whole room fell into silence upon Van's words.

Van stood beside the Braxien. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Kalvin Dymier, my aunt." He introduced the fox.

"HHHHHUUUUUHHHHH?!" Vanille and Luca said at the same time. "She's Kalvin Dymier?"

"Yes, what's the problem?" Kalvin said.

"Well… Kalvin sounds more like an old guy's name than a girl's!" Luca replied.

"Yeah, I get that all the time…" Kalvin replied. "This is the misconception people who have not seen me bring out." And then she raised her voice on the next words. "By the way… Twenty-Nine does NOT count as old!" Kalvin shouted.

"Then… how old are you?" Luca asked Van.

"Nineteen." Van said. "Listen, everyone. I need to talk to my aunt. This will take some time. Meanwhile, check in at the inn." He looked around the room, grabbing a map on a table, and passed it to them. "This map will guide you around Ignis, so you don't have to worry about getting lost now."

"So… how long will you take?" Alvin asked.

"I don't know, but I'll head to the inn after I am done." Van replied.

"All right…" Kalvin said. "Now, follow me." She and Van walked in the room she had headed into earlier. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a roomful of apparatuses. Solutions bubbled in some containers, and some didn't. Plenty of fumes came out from machines. Kalvin adjusted a machine before sitting on a chair.

"So… Van." Kalvin said, sipping on a cup of tea. "I heard that you have been causing a ruckus back at Fone Village. That's not true, right?"

"Well…" Van tapped the table. "If you look at it in a way… I have been trying to keep everyone away from Sara ever since the raid six months ago…"

"Always the overprotective brother as always. You've barely changed… And … where's Sara? It's hard to believe that you will leave Sara alone, right?" Kalvin asked.

"Sara…" Van looked down. "Sara's been kidnapped by the Demon King."

"Kidnapped?!" Kalvin shouted. "What are you doing now, Van? Letting your sister and my niece get…"

"Kalvin, calm down!" Van said. "There's some things that I want to ask you!"

Kalvin didn't say anything but obliged and rubbed her neck. "So… What do you want to ask me?" she asked in a less serious tone.

"Do you know about the 'Cleansing'?"

"'Cleansing'? Oh, you mean that ritual done in the ancient past." Kalvin replied. "The 'Cleansing' is a powerful ritual. It, through the perceptions other magicians, was a forbidden ritual since its' powers were too much even for a powerful magician."

"What?! It's a forbidden ritual?!" Van said.

"Well… just shows that you can't believe what the books say!" Kalvin walked towards a bookshelf. "Hmm… It's here somewhere…" she muttered. "Ah! There it is!" She took out a book and placed it on the table. "You see…" Kalvin said, opening the book. "You need the following materials for the ritual to succeed! A sap rich of life, pure water, electricity and a mineral with an affinity to fire!"

"The Demon King has all of them, except fire!" Van said. "Tell me! Where can we find a mineral with an affinity to fire?"

"Hmm…" Kalvin scratched her head. "Mt. Lavaggio… An ore of Serpentine… But I won't allow you to go!"

"Why?!"

"Not only is the route to Mt. Lavaggio currently blocked due to a landslide, but also that place is extremely dangerous now!" Kalvin said.

"…. Want me to show you some rare materials?" Van said in a deadpan tone.

"Well, sure… if we found some rare materials, I could get started in more methods of synthesizing…" Kalvin said before pausing suddenly. "…Huh? Rare materials?!" She then suddenly rose to an excited mood. "Ah ha! Mt. Lavaggio, was it? Sure! Let's go!"

'You've barely changed either, aunt…' Van said mentally to himself. He decided to speak. "Do you know of any other way to Mt. Lavaggio, then?"

"Of course! There's the underground route that would lead to Mt. Lavaggio!" Kalvin said in the excited tone that was present seconds ago. "Let me do the stuff to get to the underground route! Oh! And I've got to synthesize this staff! Meanwhile, find a place to sleep, I'll be done by tomorrow! And I'll find a way to save Sara, don't you worry! So many things to do~!"

'You've REALLY barely changed at all, aunt…' Van thought, leaving the room and heading out of Kalvin's house. "All right, then… what is it?" Van said, spreading his palm. The Ruby escaped out of his palm, floating on it. _'Pah! How long were you going to let me suffocate when I am trying to get out to say something?!'_ A voice spoke. It was coming from the red crystal.

"You'd better thank your lucky stars that I didn't let the conversation continue." Van said at the Ruby. _'Guh… Anyway, I felt something strange again…'_

"It's another Shadow?" Van asked.

' _Something like that… I've never felt something like this before. It's like… the strange thing had negative energy from a Shadow… but…' The Ruby said._

"But?"

' _I sensed… life… life that would come from mortals. Chosen Fighter of Fire, what does this mean?'_

"I'm not sure…" Van said. "Well, is that all you wanted to say?"

' _That's all.'_

"All right. Thanks for the information, Asras. And I already said to call me 'Van'." Van closed his eyes and the Ruby returned to his palm, sinking until it disappeared. "I'd better go to the inn. All of us need a rest to prepare for tomorrow." He said, dusting his hands. He walked on the pathway, heading towards the inn he asked everyone to head to.

"Heehee!"

Laughter coming from children caught Van's ears. He stopped momentarily, looking at the direction of the squeals. There were four Pokemon playing together; a Magby, a Darumaka, a Pansear and a Litleo.

"No fair! I wasn't even ready!" The Litleo complained.

"Heehee!" The Darumaka giggled. "You dropped your guard!"

"But he's right!" Pansear said. "You went and found him without finishing the count!"

"Hide again!" Litleo said. "And don't cheat!"

"Uh-huh." Magby said.

"Okay, okay…" Darumaka faced the wall. "One… Two… Three…"

Seeing the children play together with each other… brought back memories of how his childhood was with his new family…

* * *

" _Van…" Sara peeked from the hole in the hollow tree trunk. Van was hugging his legs, sniffling. He had lost again, and again… again to the point that he didn't want to count his losses. The female Mincinno entered the tree trunk through the hole and sat beside her adopted brother._

" _They cheated…" Van said. "They kept moving and moving… and I couldn't find them… What sort of friends are they?!"_

" _Van…" Sara patted the Chimchar's back. "I don't think that we should play with those 'friends' again…"_

" _Yeah… We'd better not…" Van said._

" _There, there…" Sara wiped Van's face. "Don't cry. Papa won't like it."_

 _Van made a loud sniff, wiping his face dry and thus ended his waterworks. "…Yeah." Van gave a small smile._

" _All right. Let's play hide-and-seek! This time, you hide and I will find you!"_

* * *

Van closed his eyes. 'Sara… I promise… That you will be rescued…' he thought.

* * *

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, Van lead the group through Ignis, explaining the plan for today. "The next place we have to head to is Mt. Lavaggio." Van said, leading the party to the entrance of the underground route. "Kalvin said that there's where you can find Serpentine. And…" He folded his arms, somehow uncertain to say the next words.

"'And…'?" Elazul said. "Don't tell me that she's…"

"Hello!"

Ahead of the group, Kalvin Dymier stood by at the hatch.

"…following us." Elazul finished.

"My aunt is unbeatable argument-wise." Van said.

Kalvin pointed to the hatch. "You see, you need a key to open the hatch over here." She said. "And I've already handled everything to open this hatch, so there's no problem now!" She bent down and pushed the cover. She turned to face Luca. "And, here's your staff!" She said, passing the Oak Staff to Luca.

"Hmm… I feel that it is…" Luca said, waving the staff around.

"Yup! Its' grade has increased, so now this upgrade decreases the casting time your spells take!" Kalvin said with a smile.

"Wow! Thanks!" Luca said happily.

"All right!" Kalvin began to climb down the ladder. "Off we go to the Underground Factory!" The party took one by one to head down slowly, entering the route that will lead them to Mt. Lavaggio, the Underground Factory.

 **Chapter 17 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Avenger (He must pay for what he has done to my brother…)**

 **Weapon: Partisan (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Bookworm (His dedication towards books… may be too addictive.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff +1 (Staff)**

 **Cloudia Vanille (Slurpuff) – Ironing Board (Congratulations, Vanille. You're now part of this group of females.)**

 **Weapon: Composite Bow (Bow)**

 **Van Grantieur (Monferno) – Broadsword User (Growing experience comes from using the broadsword from a longer period of time)**

 **Weapon: Protect Sword (Broadsword)**

 **Arturo Carpaice (Servine) – Nimble Tune (The experience of using a Sword Lute shows a gradual growth of the fine music and swift combat.)**

 **Weapon: Rhythmic Tune (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda (Flaffy) – Novice Slammer (A sledgehammer's still quite slow to use, but keep going! You'll get better!)**

 **Weapon: Spirus' Sledge (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood (Audino) – Healer (A magic user capable of healing magic)**

 **Weapon: Healing Rod (Rod)**

 **Alvin (Diggserby) – Mercenary (A soldier who is paid to fight)**

 **Weapon: Revolver (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Guest Character:**

 **Kalvin Dymier (Braxien) – Scientist (One who excels in… blah blah blah…)**

 **Weapon: Fire Rod +1 (Rod)**

 **And… ta-da! The group finally enters Ignis and met Kalvin Dymier. Now, they are to find the Serpentine ore in Mt. Lavaggio. But… what's up with the black mist from Elazul?**

 **Skit: Van's Aunt**

 **Kalvin: (smiling) "It's nice to meet all of you!" (nears Van) "Now, Van… Are you eating your vegetables?"**

 **Van: (embarrassed) "S-Stop it! I don't need to be lectured!"**

 **Kalvin: "Come on, now… You must keep your diet balanced with vegetables… You must be all ready for the last step!"**

 **Van: "Aunt…!"**

 **Luca: "Wow… Van's aunt really cares about him, doesn't he?"**

 **Van: "Actually…" (nears Luca)**

 **Luca: "?"**

 **Van: (whispering) "She's probably going to dissect me once I am all 'ready'."**

 **Luca: (shocked) "HHHHHUUUUUUHHHH?!"**

 **Kalvin: (normal) "What did he say?"**

 **Luca: "N-N-Nothing!" (leaves)**

 **Van: "Sorry, but I need some time." (leaves)**

 **Kalvin: "Hmm… boys will be boys, I suppose… They are the material with the highest probability of survival when dissected, which is 0.03%, currently…"**


	19. Chapter 18:Hidden Sins

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 18: Hidden Sins**

 **Underground Factory**

Upon reaching the floor of the underground factory, everyone realised that it was completely pitch-black. Despite the light source from Van's tail flame, it was still too dark to see about everything that was ahead. Luca was the last one on the ladder as he was nearly at the floor. Before his foot stepped off from the last bar and onto the floor, his hand slipped and he fell on his back instead. "OW!" he exclaimed.

"It's really dark…" Alvin said. "I can't see a thing!"

"Aunt…" Van said.

"Leave it to me!" Kalvin raised her Fire Rod. The rod emitted a bright glow, but it only illuminated the area around them. Kalvin tapped the ground with her rod. "That's all that I can do! We'd have to make use of this and Van's until we reach the other side!" Kalvin directed everyone to follow her through the corridor.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, right?" Heart asked.

"Hmm… counting the mutant, zombie, contaminated monsters that may be lurking around…" Kalvin said, turning around to face the group with a smile. "I'd say there's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Thanks a lot." Elazul said sarcastically as Luca clung on to him after the moment Kalvin said 'mutant'. "Get… the… F**K OFF ME!" Elazul pushed Luca off him. Eventually, they resumed walking and ventured further through the corridor.

A dark place like this… A silent place like this… You won't know what hidden secrets: good or bad, will pop out and catch you off-guard. This is the thought that is running through Cress's mind as the group progressed. Her head faced right, and then left worriedly, no, more like fearfully. Arturo notices her cautiousness and decided to speak.

"Cress?" Arturo said. Suddenly, Cress stopped and shrieked. "KYAAAAAAA!"

"HIEEEEH!" Luca jumped and clung on the object closest to him and that was Alvin's back. "Whoa!" Alvin said. "Watch the coat!" He then turned around to look at the source of the scream just like everyone else: Cress. Cress gasped at the attention she has drawn.

"Is something wrong?" Arturo asked.

"Ah, uh, it's nothing!" Cress said, trying to keep a calm attitude.

"But this place is still dark…" Luca said, releasing his hold on Alvin. "And humid… It's like… ghosts will appear out of nowhere…"

"THEY WON'T!" Cress shrieked.

Everyone looked at her with confusion on their faces. "I mean, th-they won't!" Cress said, walking ahead of the group, her head facing them. "Nothing like that will show up!" Without noticing what was in front of her, Cress's head brushed against a set of loose wires hanging from the ceiling and she immediately lost it. "KYAAAAAH!" Cress let out a panicked shriek, covering her head with her paws.

"Ah…?" Cress stopped her panic and faced the group, who gave her more confused faces. Cress's face immediately became a brighter shade of pink as she regained her calmness. "There's nothing wrong!" She shouted. "Let's carry on!" She hurriedly moved on ahead.

"It seems like she's afraid." Arturo said.

They kept on walking through the corridor. Cress has finally slowed down to let the group catch up with her, although she still carried the fearful face as they continued walking. Finally, the long corridor came to an end as the group enters a large room.

"What is this room, aunt?" Van asked.

"Hmm..." Kalvin placed her paw on her chin and started to think. "If I were to make a guess, this place was some sort of weapons factory. But… looks like stuff happened and this place was shut down." She said, examining the machinery in the room.

Vanille was looking at some of the machinery as well. Somehow… they felt familiar to her. It was like she knows what they are. "Gn?!" Vanille clutched her head. She could hear… a scream. She doesn't know why… but a place like this… it feels like that she has been here before…

"Vanille!" Luca's voice shouted.

"Ah…?!" Vanille gasped. She turned to face her left, where Luca was at, and blushed in surprise. "What's wrong?" Luca said. "You were clutching your head just now… Are you alright?"

"I… Ah…" Vanille stuttered.

"Oh! Your memory! Does this place trigger your memories?"

"Uh… I think so…" Vanille rubbed her forehead. "I… remember seeing this place before…"

"Vanille! That's great! You remembered something about your past!" Luca said.

"I'm not sure…" Vanille said.

"It's still really lucky for us not to encounter any monsters, though!" Luca said.

A loud primitive growl started to echo through the room.

"You just had to say that, didn't you…?!" Elazul said, grabbing his spear.

"I'm sorry!" Luca shouted.

The source of the growl appears as soon as Luca apologized. A giant spider stared at them from the ceiling. No one could tell what it was, though. It seemed to be… some sort of mutated creature.

"Gee, thanks a lot!" Elazul said in an angrier tone. He faced the enemy spider, thrusting his spear forward. "Sonic Thrust!" He drew his spear back before thrusting after the Sonic Thrust. "Super Sonic Thrust!"

"Tiger Blade!" Alvin swung his left gunblade upwards at the spider. with a jump, releasing his hold on his right gunblade as he threw it upwards. His right ear grabbed the airborne gunblade, swinging it down and slashing the spider as he descended from the jump. "Whoa!" Alvin back stepped to evade the spider's legs from hitting him. "Hah! Assault Bullet!" Alvin pointed both gunblades at the spider to shoot bullets at it as he retreated.

"Sword Rain!" Arturo thrusted his sword lute rapidly at the spider. And at the same time, Cress spun around in a horizontal circle from behind. "Punishment!" Then Arturo thrusted with more rapid movements. "Sword Rain: Alpha!" He said, ending his flurry of thrusts with an upward one. The spider turned around, sweeping the area around it, which Cress and Arturo back stepped to avoid it. It stopped to face Cress and shot threads of silk towards her. Instinctively, Cress raised her sledgehammer to stop the threads from hitting her. She suddenly felt something sticky on her paws.

"Wha-?! Gyah!" The spider swung Cress to the right, sending her to smash against some of the machinery before it moved again, swinging Cress again. Vanille released an arrow, slicing the thread, ending the spider's attack. Luca raised his staff. "Spread!" The spider notices the torrent of water appearing from above it and dodged it.

"Ugh!" Cress grunted, getting up slowly.

"Are you alright?" Heart said, readying her healing spell. "First Aid!" Cress was bathed in a light green light, causing her wounds to vanish.

"Thanks." Cress said.

"Scorching hellfire, bring unto them the wrath of the lord of fire! Flare Tornado!" Kalvin casted the spell. A spiral of fire was conjured around the spider, carrying it upwards and searing it at the same time. Before it fell, Van, Alvin and Elazul charged forward with their weapons.

"You're done for! Void Tempest!"

"Mega Sonic Thrust!"

"Tiger Rage!"

The three simultaneous attacks struck the monster spider. It gave one screech before it collapsed on the floor. A green pool was now growing underneath the spider's body.

"Ugh, I'd never want to see a spider ever again in my life…" Alvin said, shaking the ooze off from his gunblades.

"This is one of the mutant creatures, most likely." Kalvin said. "Now, let us hurry on before more of them show up and give us some trouble!"

"I agree." Arturo said, sheathing his sword lute.

After that encounter, the group continued their progress through the Underground Factory, which was hindered by other encounters that followed afterwards. It didn't take very long after dispatching the enemies that they reached the place where they could enter Mt. Lavaggio.

"There's the exit!" Kalvin said, pointing to a closed door. She turned the valve counter-clockwise and soon, the door creaked open slowly, letting a wind of hot air blow through the corridor. Pushing the door to the wall, Kalvin gestured everyone to enter Mt. Lavaggio.

"Oh dear…" Arturo sighed. "Now we are entering a place that is more dangerous now…"

* * *

 **Resting place of the Flame Sin**

 **Mt. Lavaggio**

"It's hot!" Luca shouted upon leaving the Underground Factory.

"Too hot…" Arturo muttered in displeasure. "This must be a nightmare…" Luca looked at him and hit him with his staff. "Ouch!" Arturo said, rubbing where Luca hit him. "No… it's not a nightmare…"

Mt. Lavaggio is a volcano. Its' searing temperatures was no joke at all. There was a sea of magma from under the group. Falling into it would already guarantee death for non-magma-resistant beings. Kalvin looked at the bridge in front of them. "Looks like we can only follow this route for now." She said.

Walking down the corridor ahead of them, the group encountered plenty of Fire Elemental Monsters. But with Luca's Water or Ice Magic, they managed to defeat the Monsters they encountered. The end of the hallway led them to a set of downwards stairs. They walked down to see a larger basement area. There was another level from where they entered at – it was almost as if the floor they were on was merely a huge table placed at the middle of the room. They could see a pedestal on the lower level near the back of the room; some kind of glowing stone was sitting on it.

"Hey, what is that?" Heart wondered.

"Let's go see it!" Luca said, facing Elazul. "Could you check it out for us?"

"Why me?"

"Cause you're the only one who can fly!" Luca replied.

"As much as I'd like to, I can't." Elazul attempted to lift both his feet off from the platform. He flapped his wings as well. But he made no progress in any aerial form. "…Looks like this place renders my ability of flight."

Vanille strayed from the group. "Look, there's something there."

"Look out!" Van exclaimed as he ran towards the giant rock monster that was wandering around on the table-like floor. He drew his broadsword and attacked it, trying to create some distance between the Golem and Vanille.

Everyone drew their weapons and defeated the monster rather quickly considering the numbers they had against the Golem. When they defeated it, it didn't collapse and die like the others – instead it turned into some kind of huge block.

"Wow! It turned into a rock!" Vanille exclaimed, her face glowing with excitement.

"Well… it IS a rock, after all…" Arturo said, sheathing his weapon.

Luca walked towards the block. Suddenly, he lost his balance and tripped.

"Oops!"

He pushed the block as he fell. It slid forward rather easily, falling through a nearby hole in the floor.

"…." Elazul stared at the block that fell.

"Uh-oh!" Luca exclaimed in shock.

The rest of the party stared into the level below them, and saw that the block was floating on the magma beneath them, completing a once broken path between two pathways.

"I get it."

"Huh?" Vanille wondered, looking at the floor beneath them.

"In just a moment, it'll probably… see, there it is." Van pointed to a newly-regenerated Golem that appeared on the floor.

"Another one has appeared!" Vanille said.

"Let's take care of it and drop it in the floor below!" Alvin said.

Vanille was still unsure what they meant but she followed their actions to defeat the Golem. Just like the last one, it turned into a block. Cress pushed the block to another hole, looking at where it fell.

"Looks like we'll need one more." Kalvin said.

"There!" Vanille pointed to a Golem that was at the other side of the floor. Quickly defeating it, they pushed the block body down at a hole. They went down via a staircase at the ends of the floor, and crossed over the magma by walking on the blocks they had pushed in earlier.

They climbed up the staircase that led to the lone pedestal holding the glowing item.

"What is this?" Vanille asked. The glowing item was a brass ring with a red jewel attached to it.

"I know what that is!" Luca said. "It's a Sorcerer's Ring!"

"That's right! The Sorcerer's Ring is an ancient artefact." Kalvin said. "It should hold the power of fire for now."

Luca took the Sorcerer's Ring from the pedestal. "I've got to try it on!" He looked at the width of the Sorcerer's Ring for a moment and realized that his fingers were too big for it. Then, the Sorcerer's Ring suddenly grew in width and it was now a perfect fit for Luca. He happily inserted it on his finger.

"It fits!" Luca said.

"You're like a child…" Elazul mumbled.

The group returned to the area where they had started at, heading to the bridge that was over the river of magma in the layer.

"Hey, look at that." Alvin said, pointing to the left wall. There was a small button embedded on the wall. "It wasn't here when we first entered this place."

"Luca, try using the Sorcerer's Ring to hit that button." Kalvin suggested.

"Okay, leave it to me!" Luca said confidently as he pointed the Sorcerer's Ring to the button. The Ring released a small fireball towards the button – it was enough to reach the button, and new paths rose from the magma river, granting them more routes through Mt. Lavaggio. "Looks like we can progress now."

Luca stared at the Sorcerer's Ring, suddenly looking disappointed. "Aww… I was expecting a bigger flame…" he said.

* * *

The group continued their progress on the new paths that have appeared. Once again, they handled the Monsters that they encountered with ease. Soon, their progress led them to a large circular room. "Hmm… how much further before we find the Serpentine…?" Arturo muttered.

"I don't think we have a long way to go now." Kalvin said.

"That's go-" Luca took a step forward, and the floor beneath him gave way, causing him to fall through a hole.

"WAAAAAAAAAH!" Luca's scream echoed for a while as he fell… a short distance.

"Luca! Are you okay?" Heart asked.

"I'm alright!" Luca's voice came out from the hole. "Hey! There's a passageway! I'm gonna check it out!"

"…Who's going to follow him?" Elazul said. However, he got his answer when everyone faced him without saying anything.

"What the hell…?!" Elazul shook his head before he jumped into the hole.

Luca looked at the walls, his staff giving out a ray of light. They were covered in ancient scripts, but he can still understand what it said. "Hmm… 'Resting Place of the Flame Sin'?" He heard the sound of footsteps landing, and he turned around to see Elazul walking towards him. "Oh, Elazul!" He said.

"Stop wasting time." Elazul said. "Let's go back an-" Before he could continue, the exit from behind them was covered by fallen rocks. "…F**k." The Noivern grumbled.

"Looks like we can only go on further for now…" Luca said.

* * *

At the surface of the room, the exit had been closed by the fallen rocks, presumably that they structure was too weak and the rocks gave way and covered the exit. "The exit collapsed…" Cress said. "What do we do now?"

"I'm not sure…" Van said. "What about you, aunt?"

"Hmm…" Kalvin mumbled. "I have no idea as well!"

"So, we are going to leave them?" Arturo said. "I am greatly opposed to that idea."

"But I believe that this underground corridor might lead them to us, eventually." Kalvin said.

"So… our only way for now is to keep going forward?" Alvin said.

"It looks like it…" Heart said.

* * *

Back at the underground passage where Luca and Elazul are currently travelling in… Luca continued to read the scripts on the walls, while Elazul reluctantly follows him. "Oh… So, this is it…" Luca said, stopping at one of the scripts.

"…What?" Elazul said.

"The Flame Sin." Luca replied. "It's story goes like this:

 **It was during the ancient times, when the world was plagued by the ever-growing darkness. The Chosen and the Crystal Bearers fought against the darkness, and their progress gradually increased, but it was not enough to completely defeat the darkness. The gods managed to speak to the Chosen and the Crystal Bearers that they needed to sought out for elemental spirits that will support them with their powers. One such place they first went to is a fiery volcano where the elemental spirit of fire dwelled. Its' appearance was of a demon, and it fed on the dark secrets that mortals held on to their last moments.**

 **Thus, this elemental spirit earned the name, the Flame Sin. It is a representation of the dark secrets that mortals hold that they wish never to reveal to others. Nevertheless, the Flame Sin joined them on their journey to defeat the darkness. Once the war was over, it was said that the Flame Sin entered a deep slumber in an isolated place where it will not awaken until the time is right.**

…and that's about it!" Luca finished the explanation of the Flame Sin.

"…And?" Elazul raised whatever he had in place of an 'eyebrow'.

"It's just what I was able to read, though!" Luca said. "The rest was too damaged to decipher."

"Feeding off sins, huh?" Elazul mumbled. '…Will it be able to feed mine off?'

Luca and Elazul continued walking through the passageway. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Luca and Elazul left the passageway and were now in a room. Streams of magma flowed through holes in the walls in front of them as a large pool. There was a hole that allowed the magma to flow through, presumably leaving the volcano as lava.

"What is this place?" Luca wondered, looking around.

"Who cares? Let's just find a way out of here." Elazul said.

'… _intruders…'_

"…Huh?" Luca rubbed his head. "Elazul, did you say something?"

"…What?" Elazul said.

'… _Sinned intruders…'_

The voice caught Elazul's ears as well. Luca looked around the room. "Who's there?!" he asked.

' _The feeling of sins… grows strong within the mortals… just like the past…'_

Elazul readied his lance. "…Show yourself or I'll force you to."

' _Sinned mortal… You'll regret this…'_

The moment after the voice said that, the pool of magma started to bubble violently before a column of magma rushed up to the ceiling. As it began to fall, it revealed a red liger-like demon entity from inside. It apparently wore a heavy suit of armor that was made of magma. It raised its' hand and conjured up flames to shape a resemblance to a weapon. Grabbing it, the flames dissipated and revealed a molten form of a double-edged sword.

' _I, Efreet, the Elemental Spirit of Fire, known as the Flame Sin, will bring your demise right here!'_ The entity shouted.

 **Elemental Spirit of Fire, the Flame Sin**

 **Efreet**

"Eruption!" Efreet raised his hand. The floor beneath Luca and Elazul started to turn red.

"Move!" Elazul pushed Luca away and jumped away, avoiding the waves of magma that pulsed out from the ground.

"Aqua Edge!" Luca summoned three water blades that struck Efreet. However, it seemed like he was unfazed by the attack. Yet, his face turned to look at Luca.

"Water?" Efreet questioned. "How dare you… You'll burn!" He dashed forward Luca, swinging his weapon down.

"Wah!" Luca ran to the left to avoid Efreet's attack. He stumbled to regain his balance before avoiding several Fire Balls that Efreet casted. "Okay, okay… Just got to try this again…" Luca said, trying to cast Spread, but he noticed that Efreet was about to attack him again.

"I won't let you!" Elazul defended against the attack with his spear, protecting Luca.

"Elazul!" Luca said.

"Shut up and cast a spell! This is an Elemental Spirit we're dealing with, here!" Elazul demanded.

"A-All right! Spread!" Luca summoned a torrent of water from above Efreet which crashed down on him. "Argh!" Efreet growled. "How dare you… You'll burn!" He back-stepped from the duo, raising his free hand. "Explode!" A small ball of fire was created from the air which began to descend to the floor.

"Go!" Elazul grabbed Luca and moved away from the small fireball. Once it touched the ground, it let out a massive explosion. The duo managed to barely avoid the explosion. As Luca stood up, Elazul clutched a wound that he has suffered during the beginning of the battle.

"A-Are you alright, Elazul?!" Luca gasped.

"Don't worry about me!" Elazul said. "I'm going to distract him. Meanwhile, prepare Tidal Wave and give it all you've got!"

"O-Okay!" Luca held on to his staff and began the chant.

"Dragon Pulse!" Elazul breathed in and released a shock wave from his mouth, hitting Efreet. The Incineroar's head faced Elazul. "Yeah, that's right…" Elazul said, pointing his spear at Efreet.

"Impudent mortal, I will destroy you! Raging Mist!" Efreet created a magic circle under Elazul, who notices this and quickly backs away before the circle activates and releases a blast of heat.

"What the-?!" Elazul notices that Efreet suddenly appeared behind him. Turning around, he narrowly blocked the swing from the double-edged sword with his spear. He grunted, backing off.

"Wave full of wisdom, swallow the misfortune done by the ravages of war! Tidal Wave!" Luca raised his staff. A giant swirl of water appeared around Efreet. As compared to the other water spells Luca has casted, it had a greater effect on the Flame Sin. After the water died down, Efreet stood by his spot silently, his face turning slowly to face Luca again. This time, Luca gulped in fear.

"…I TOLD YOU TO STOP!" Efreet roared. He spun his double-edged sword at an incredible speed, covering it in flames. "BURNING BREAK!" He threw the weapon down towards Luca. The sword landed on the ground, and it released a powerful heatwave from where it landed. "WAAAAAGH!" Luca was flung into the air by the attack. He landed hard at the wall before slumping on the floor.

"Luca!" Elazul shouted.

"…" Luca didn't respond.

'He's unconscious…' He thought before facing Efreet. "…Efreet, the Flame Sin."

"Mortal, you wish to speak now?" Efreet said, not lowering his weapon.

"…You feed on sins, don't you? Then, can you tell… what my sin is?" Elazul said. As he tightened his grip on his spear, fumes of black mist started to escape from his shadow.

"…Your sin… is that you feel that you're powerless to protect those important to you…" Efreet answered.

The black mist started to accumulate and began to rise further up into the air. "…That's right…!" He said. Suddenly shouting out in pain, he closed his eyes and knelt as the mist started to surround his left side. The mist somehow started to stain his wing slowly in a pitch-black color. Partially, the left side of his face was covered in that black mist as well. Opening his eyes slowly, he glared at Efreet, holding his spear which the pole had the black stain like his left wing and partially covered face.

"…You…" Efreet said in disbelief. "So… it was true after all…"

"…" Elazul didn't say anything. He pointed his left wing at Efreet, and then the whole world turned black.

* * *

"Ugh…" Luca rubbed his head and began to open his eyes. "What happened…? Oh! That's right…! Efreet!" He gasped, about to look around when he saw Elazul standing in front of him with his back facing him. "Elazul!" He said with relief in his voice. "You're alright!"

"…." Elazul didn't respond.

"What happened to Efreet?" Luca asked, looking at his surroundings. The Fire Elemental Spirit was nowhere to be seen.

"…." Elazul suddenly knelt on one knee, gasping for air as he clutched his left wing.

"E-Elazul!" Luca gasped, running over to Elazul's side.

"I-I-I…I… am fine…" Elazul managed to speak through his gasps.

"Y-You're not fine at all!" Luca said. "L-Let me carry you!" Luca struggled to let Elazul's wing rest on his back. "There…" He said, walking slowly as to let Elazul keep up with his footsteps as they walked to an exit of the room. As they made their slow progress, Luca's face kept on looking at Elazul's. He has never seen his friend in such an exhausted state. He is, of course, worried. After a long moment, they left the passageway and were at another room now.

"Elazul…" Luca said. "Are you… okay…?"

"…." Elazul didn't say anything.

Luca gave a smile at his friend, before he suddenly felt weak. His knees gave way and he fell on the ground. His head was getting heavier and heavier as he was forced into a slumber again. 'Again… What's it going to show me this time…?' Luca thought as his vision became foggy which was gradually being covered in black which was his closing eyelids.

 **Chapter 18 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Avenger (He must pay for what he has done to my brother…)**

 **Weapon: Partisan (Spear)**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Bookworm (His dedication towards books… may be too addictive.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff +1 (Staff)**

 **The team ventures through Underground Factory, and at Mt. Lavaggio, Luca and Elazul are separated in one party and faces the Elemental Spirit of Fire, Efreet. But… after the battle, Efreet is gone, and what happened to Elazul and Luca? And what about the rest of the party?**

 **Skit: The Creepy Underground? (Cress is the overworld character in Underground Factory)**

 **Cress: (thinking) 'This Underground Factory… it's so dark… It's so damp… It's so… creepy… I… I hate things like this… since you won't know what dangers will appear sudden-'**

 **Arturo: (appears) "Cress?"**

 **Cress: (shocked) "KYAAAAAH!" (hits Arturo with her sledgehammer)**

 **Arturo: (hurt) "Ouch! What happened? What scared you?"**

 **Cress: (embarrassed) "I-I'm not scared!"**

 **Arturo: (thinking) 'Yet… I received this violent blow for no reason…'**

 **Skit: Too Hot**

 **Luca: (depressed) "Wah…. It's too hot…"**

 **Van: "Well, it is, after all, a volcano."**

 **Arturo: (depressed) "Too hot…"**

 **Van: "Like I said, it is a volcano. It's natural for this place to have high temperatures."**

 **(Cress and Heart appear)**

 **Heart: "Umm… are Luca and Arturo alright?"**

 **Luca & Arturo: "Hot…"**

 **Cress: (angered) "If either of you plan to lay a finger on Heart…"**

 **Heart: "I don't think that they were referring to me as 'Hot'. Come, let me heal you two."**

 **Van: "Phew…"**


	20. Chapter 19:The Chosen

**Tales of Faith**

 **Past Arc: Creation**

 **Chapter 19: The Chosen**

 _SYSTEM FUNCTION – 99%._

 _SYSTEM FUNCTION – 100%_

 _MAIN SYSTEM REBOOTING__

"… _.."_

 _I began to open my eyes slowly. My vision started to adjust to be able to look at my surroundings clearly. I was in a room. And what I was resting on was a bed… but where am I? And more importantly, who am I?_

" _Oh! You're finally awake!"_

 _The cheerful and upbeat voice catches my attention. Turning around, I saw a pink and white-coloured female. She was dressed in a white attire. There was something white that was shaped like a… a… a… 'thing' on her head. I couldn't recognize her. Who is she…?_

" _Thank goodness…" The female said, pressing her stubby hands on her chest. "For a moment, I thought that you had died!"_

… _Died? What is that…?_

" _Let's see…" The female looks around me. I was confused. Why is she doing that…? "Hmm…" She placed her hands on her chin, thinking carefully, I suppose?_

" _Oh! Your species! You're a Genesect! And a shiny one, too!" She said._

"… _Genesect?" I asked._

"… _Huh? You don't know your species…?' The female said. "Anyway, my species is a Slurpuff!" She cheerfully extended her hand towards me. I looked at that hand. What does she want me to do…? Slurpuff sighed. "Oh my… You don't know that we are supposed to shake hands?"_

"… _Shake hands?" I asked._

" _Oh dear…" She grabbed my hand and waved it along with hers in an upwards and downwards manner. Once she released her hold on my hand, she looked at a square hole at a wall. "You appeared from out of nowhere about a week ago at the village's entrance. Most of the villagers thought that you were dead. But I offered to check on you to see whether you are still alive." She said. "Where did you come from?"_

 _Where did I come from? I know that. I came from… wait… Where did I come from?! "…I… don't remember. Who am I?" I said._

"… _You don't remember who you are…?" Slurpuff gasps. "Do you remember anything? Age? Gender? Name?"_

"… _Name… My name…" I rubbed my head. What is my name?! Wait, what is a name?!_

 _Rose…_

'… _Huh?' I looked at Slurpuff. She didn't say that word. Who did? Rose? Is that my name…? I… I don't know… but 'Rose'… feels familiar…_

"… _My name… My name is… Rose." I answered her question._

" _Rose…?" she asked. "…That's it? No surname?"_

"… _A surname?"_

" _That's no good! We need to come up with a surname for you!" Slurpuff said, advancing towards me. She grabbed my leg, examining it. "…Nope." She looked at my other leg and examined it. "…No." She then looked at my right arm and grabbed it. "…No!" She then continued with my head. "…NO!" She looked frustrated, being unable to come up with a 'surname'. She shook her head, forcefully grabbing my left arm and giving it a hard tug._

 _The next thing scared the both of us._

 _A weapon suddenly materialized from my hand. It nearly slashed Slurpuff when it appeared._

" _What's… this…?" I was the first to say something. The both of us looked at the floating weapon in front of us. I decided to move my hand slightly, and the weapon followed the same motion. I motioned my hand slowly, the weapon mimicking my movements. I kept moving it for some time before I flicked my hand, and the weapon disappeared._

 _Slurpuff patted her hands together. "An epiphany! Let me see… I think I am coming up with your surname…" She grabbed my arm again and tugged on it. A weapon appeared, but this time, it was different from the last one. She gasped in enjoyment, and moved my hand again. Another different weapon appeared. She continued the process until she stopped tugging my arm. Thank goodness… My arm hurts a lot…_

"… _.Armonal."_

"… _Huh?" I said._

" _That's your new surname! I creatively combined the words 'arsenal' and 'armor' together! Arsenal from the many weapons that you got from tugging your hand, and 'armor' from how your appearance resembles a suit of armor!" Slurpuff explained. "How do you like it?"_

"… _I think that it would be okay." I replied. Now, I didn't understand what a 'surname' means, but I think it would be okay…_

" _All right! Your name from now on is Rose Armonal!" Slurpuff said._

" _Chosen! We need your help!"_

" _Hold on a second!" Slurpuff called out loudly. "I'll be there!" She faced me. "I'll be going now, but I'll offer to help you find your memories whenever I can!"_

" _All right, Chosen." I said._

" _Oh, you don't have to call me 'Chosen'!" Slurpuff said. "Oh, and I never said my name! How silly of me! My name, is Colette Vanille!" She walked towards the door. "And my wish is to restore the World Regeneration for a new future!"_

 _A Chosen… A new… future…_

 **Chapter 19 End**

* * *

 **Past Arc: Creation End**

 **And thus… ends the first section of the Past Arc. Rose has no memories of his past now, and now he meets a Chosen named Colette Vanille. What will his future actions be…?**


	21. Chapter 20:A Risky Deal

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 20: A Risky Deal**

"…Uhhh…"

Luca rubbed his head. Opening his eyes slowly, he noticed that he was in a room. 'What am I doing here…? The last thing I remember is that I was at Mt. Lavaggio…' he thought. He notices his hat resting on a table beside him. He reached out and grabbed it, putting it on. '…Oh! Where are the others?' With that thought, he headed towards the door and opened it. Looking around the corridor and some of the apparatuses that were hanging, he realised that he was in Kalvin's house.

Heading through the corridor, Luca reached a living room. It didn't take long for him to see everyone. Elazul, Arturo, Cress, Heart, Alvin, Kalvin, Van… and Van's sister, Sara.

"Oh! Sara!" Luca said in surprise.

"Luca, it's nice to see you." Sara said.

Luca walked to her and shook hands. "Yeah, so Van rescued you, didn't he?"

"Err... about that…" Sara said with an uncertain voice.

Luca looked around the living room, soon realising something.

"…Where's Vanille?" Luca said.

Everyone began to look away, saying nothing.

"Guys…? Where's Vanille? Did she go somewhere?"

Van closed his eyes, walking until he was facing Luca.

"Luca." Van said. "Vanille's… It'll be better if I tell you the events."

"Huh?" Luca said. "What happened?"

"You see…" Van said, reminiscing the events that happened to them after separating from Luca and Elazul.

* * *

"Demonic Void!" Van dealt the finishing blow to a Fire Element. It crumbled apart and collapsed on the floor.

"Is everyone alright?" Van said, sheathing his broadsword.

"Yeah." Vanille, Cress, Heart, Alvin and Kalvin replied.

"B-Barely…" Arturo muttered. "How can all of you withstand this heat…?"

"Arturo…" Van said. "Could you bear just a bit longer…?" He turned to face Kalvin. "How much further now?"

"It's just right here!" Kalvin said, pointing to a pathway.

"That's good to hear." Van placed his hands on his hips. "But… we haven't seen Luca or Elazul at all before we reached here."

The rest looked down upon hearing Van. "Hmm… where could those two be…?" Van wondered. He shook his head. "Worrying now won't help. For now, we'd have to do everything without them." He looked at the pathway. "Let's go in there first."

Walking along the pathway, the party enters a large circular room. It was no different than the rest of the rooms that they have went through: rocky flooring, magma rivers at the sides and a searing temperature, in Arturo's case.

"So, where's the Serpentine, aunt?" Van asked.

Kalvin took a few steps forward. "Hmm… I can't say it just yet!"

"And why is that, aunt?"

"Because I have a plan, remember? To save your sister!" Kalvin reminded him.

"Okay… I'll trust you on this…" Van folded his arms. He had a feeling that he wouldn't like that plan.

"You've finally come…" a voice spoke.

"!" Van pulled out his broadsword and swung it behind him. As to be expected, the figure evaded his attack. As he floated above the group, descending slowly until he was just above the floor, the Hydreigon with the black mantle looked at them with a calm look.

"Dhaos!" Cress shouted.

"So, that's the Demon King everyone's telling me?" Alvin said, reaching for his gunblades.

"Yes." Heart replied.

"Hm, I see that Elazul isn't here." Dhaos said. "And the little Mage."

"And what will you do if they were here?" Van asked.

"That, I can't say."

Dhaos looked at the ceiling. "Hm. The Serpentine's definitely in this room, but… I heard that this ore is fragile and one careless move will break it and it will be useless." He said, and looked at the party. "I do not wish to fight. Leave me be with my own business."

"Never." Van pointed his broadsword at Dhaos. "You're going to pay for kidnapping my sister!" He rushed towards Dhaos, jumping up. "Hell Pyre!" He spun around and he sent out a fireball from his broadsword towards Dhaos. The latter simply raised his left head, erecting a barrier to block the fireball.

"Stop this futile attempt." Dhaos said as the barrier dissipated. "All I need is the Serpentine."

"Alright."

"Uhh…?" Van lowered his broadsword and turned to the one who said that: his aunt.

"What… are you… doing…?" he said.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Kalvin assured him. "It's all part of the plan!"

'Which you didn't even tell us what it is about…' Van thought. Kalvin advanced towards Dhaos casually, who raised his left head defensively. "Hm. If this is a trick… mark my words…"

"No need to worry!" Kalvin said, grabbing her staff. "You need a Serpentine ore, don't you? Well, you've come to the right place!"

Cress watched them from where she stood. "What the hell is Kalvin doing!?" she said.

"I do not know…" Arturo said. Just as he finished his sentence, he looked ahead to see that Kalvin stopped walking and raised her staff. "Alright! Time for an impulse of flames!" Kalvin said. "Flame Lance!" As she finished chanting, a fiery projectile in the shape of a lance appeared and shot towards the ceiling. The lance blasted a part of the ceiling off, causing the section to crumble down.

"Whoa!" Arturo watched the section crumble apart and dust began to surround the section that was blasted by Flame Lance. Through the cloud of dust, something fell off from the ceiling. As it dropped from the cloud, it is revealed to be a green ore. Kalvin raised her staff, letting the ore land on the tip of the staff. "Wh-Whoa…!" Kalvin moved around to balance the green ore on the tip of her staff. "Whoa-hah…Whoa-hah… Ho-la!" She toppled a bit to the right before the ore started to balance perfectly on her staff and she straightened herself. "Yup! This'll be fine!" she said. Tilting her staff, the ore fell on her free paw.

"That's… the Serpentine…" Dhaos said.

"Hold on now." Kalvin said.

"What is it, now?" Dhaos questioned.

"Did you really expect me to give you the Serpentine without getting something in return, hmm?" Kalvin said.

"Hn. State what you want, then."

"My nephew told me that you've got my niece, Sara." Kalvin told Dhaos. "If you want the Serpentine…"

"Fine." Dhaos raised his right head. As he did,

"Van! And Aunt Kalvin!" Sara gasped.

"Sara!" Van shouted.

"Hmm… On the count of three…" Kalvin said, heading slowly to Dhaos with the Serpentine. Dhaos moved closer as well, lightly holding Sara's back.

"One… Two… Three!" Kalvin announced.

Dhaos pushed Sara lightly to Kalvin… and Kalvin threw the Serpentine to him and he catches it.

"The hell?! She gave the ore!" Cress shouted.

'Placing my trust on you… is the greatest and dumbest mistake I've ever made.' Van thought.

"Finally…" Dhaos said, gazing at the green ore. "It is finally complete…" He turned away from the group, floating away from them slowly. As he opened a portal, a loud screech echoed in the room.

"What was that?!" Cress said.

"I said that I do not wish to fight, did I not?" Dhaos said. "I never said that I won't be the one who will fight. Farewell." As he finished his words and entered through the portal, a harsh breeze blew through the large hole at the wall. Everyone in the room looked at the creature that entered the area. It was an avian that resembled a cross-breed between a peacock and a phoenix. It had mainly gold and red feathers with a white underside, yellow tail-feathers and green feathers at the tip of its' wings. Around its' neck, it had a green stripe. Its' head had a feathered yellow crest with a yellow beak, black rings around its' red eyes. Lastly, it had darkly coloured feet and legs with four toes and long talons.

"That's… the Spirit of Rebirth, Ho-Oh…" Heart said.

"But, something's wrong with it!" Van said. Van is right. The pupils of the Ho-Oh; they weren't normal. They were glowing with darkness. He faced Kalvin and Sara. "Get out of this room, now!" He faced back at the Ho-Oh, readying his broadsword. "We'll handle this!"

"Oi, Van!" Kalvin said.

"Just go!" Van shouted.

"All right! All right! I get it!" Kalvin sighed, taking Sara along with her as the two headed to the exit of the room. The party then turned their attention to Ho-Oh. "It's coming!" Vanille said.

 **Ho-Oh, Spirit of Rebirth**

"Alvin, Arturo, Cress!" Van said. "We'll go to the front row to attack Ho-Oh! Use any artes, moves! Anything that can down it to the floor!" He faced Vanille and Heart. "Vanille, attack from afar! Heart! Heal us when we're in a pinch!"

"Haaah!" Van swung his broadsword upwards. Then, he quickly jumped up and swing his broadsword. "Crescent Strike!" Ho-Oh flapped down, knocking Van down. "Guh!" He rolled back and pushed himself off the ground to land on his feet. Vanille drew out some arrows and shot it at Ho-Oh, but the avian knocked the arrows away easily.

"Heart, support me!" Cress rushed forward, holding her sledgehammer.

"Alright, Sharpness!" Heart raised her staff, covering Cress with a red veil of light. "Okay! Rising Blast!" Cress dragged the sledgehammer's head on the ground, swinging it up and releasing a projectile up from the ground to attack Ho-Oh. "Feel the roar of lightning!" Cress jumped up afterwards and first swung her leg to create a blast of energy shaped like a lion's head at Ho-Oh, managing to knock it down from the air. "Thunder Beast!" She then swung her sledgehammer down, creating a burst of electricity on the floor.

Ho-Oh let out a loud screech, beginning to flap its' wings as it lifted itself from the ground. As it did, the area around it was hit by a wave of wind, forcing everyone to shield themselves from the wave. Getting itself airborne where no one could reach it via their attacks, its' beak began to spew out flames.

"What's it doing now?" Vanille asked.

"It's preparing to unleash Sacred Fire!" Alvin warned.

Cress turned around to face Heart. "Heart! Cast Force Field!" Cress said. "Everyone! Get close to Heart!"

"Alright." Heart held on to her staff and began to chant. "O brilliant goddess, become a light as a wall to allay arms…" As she chanted, a purplish circle appeared around her. Everyone managed to make it near Heart as she finished the chant. "…Force Field!" Heart finished as Ho-Oh released Sacred Fire at the battlefield. But the attack failed to impact the party as a purplish dome appeared around them and shielded them from the flames.

"Whoa, that is an impressive barrier…" Arturo commented.

"Hold on, how do we attack now?!" Alvin asked.

"We can't." Cress answered. "While Force Field is active, our attacks will be blocked as well."

"Then… we can't attack?" Vanille asked.

"So, how-" Alvin was cut off when the Force Field suddenly shook. Everyone turned their attention to see Ho-Oh bashing on the barrier. "What the?!"

"The Force Field won't hold long!" Heart told everyone. True to Heart's words, the section where Ho-Oh violently assaulted had cracks forming slowly. It let out a furious screech, attacking the barrier once more. The Force Field shattered apart. "Aah!" Heart staggered backwards. "Ngh…!" Cress prepared her sledgehammer to shield Heart. Ho-Oh let out a cry as it dove down towards the party.

" _Croa riou ze tue riou rei neu riou ze."_

The Ho-Oh stopped advancing towards the group. It started to grunt in shock. Somehow, it looked lost, as its' head turned left and right. The melody was too familiar with almost everyone as Vanille began to sing. "It's confused… It doesn't know where it is…" Arturo said.

"Stone Wall!" Alvin shot orange bullets above Ho-Oh. The bullets build up together and created a large column of rocks. "Rock Mountain!" He shot the wall as it began to fell, shattering it to large boulders that begun to knock Ho-Oh down on the ground. The rocks built up above Ho-Oh until it could no longer be seen from under the mountain of boulders.

Vanille stopped singing and collapsed on the floor.

Arturo looked at the mountain of boulders, where Ho-Oh was buried under. "…Is it…?" he asked.

Heart closed her eyes, muttering a prayer. Cress began to speak. "Heart told me this: Ho-Oh is a Spirit of Rebirth. Should it pass away, its' extinguished flames will be reborn as a new flame. It does not matter if it dies; it will continue to live on…"

"I noticed something…" Van said. "We forgot all about Luca and Elazul!"

Everyone gasped. "Oh, yeah! That's right!" Alvin said. "So, you want to group up with your family or something?"

"That's it." A voice out of nowhere spoke.

"Hu-" No one else had time to finish that word as all of them were suddenly blown away by a force. "Gyaaah!" Everyone shouted as they were scattered around. Everyone but Vanille. Groaning from the sudden force, Van and Arturo pushed themselves up on the floor to notice Vanille hovering slightly towards a portal. "Isn't that…?" Arturo asked.

"Dhaos!" Van got to his feet and rushed towards Vanille. He leaped out and reached for Vanille.

"Guh!" Van landed on the ground as he couldn't grab Vanille as she entered the portal which closed upon her entrance. "Damn it!" Van slammed a clenched fist on the floor.

Everyone got up from the floor, looking at Arturo's direction, where the portal was. "Vanille, no…" Heart gasped, holding her hands in front of her mouth. "We have to find her!" Van ran out of the room, meeting Kalvin and Sara. "Aunt! Sara!"

"Perfect timing, Van!" Sara said. "We found Luca and Elazul!"

"You found them? At least this saves time." Van said. "After we get to them, we need to get out of to find Vanille!"

* * *

"After that, we found you and Elazul unconscious at a pathway, and brought you two here… but we couldn't get Vanille…" Van finished his recollection to Luca.

Luca was completely silent after he heard the whole story. Most of him said not to believe it, but the rest that said the opposite was somehow superior to tell him to believe it. He made a promise to her. He will help her find her memories, but how can he do that? Especially when she's not here?

"P…P…Please… tell me… that's not true…" Luca finally spoke after a while.

"Unfortunately…" Arturo sighed. "It's true."

"Then…! Then…!" Luca scampered around the room. "We have to find Dhaos and rescue Vanille!"

"Hold on! There's a lot of things we didn't want to believe either!" Alvin said. "Especially since she told us about Dhaos!" He pointed his paw at Sara. The Mincinno walked up to Luca. "Luca, you may not believe this either, but Dhaos isn't pure evil… he fights… for his belief…" Sara began to tell Luca the events that happened during her travel with Dhaos to .

* * *

There was no conversation ever since they began the journey. Until now.

Sara floated through a spatial tunnel, her eyes focused at Dhaos. The Demon King that was feared by all, who'd have thought that he was soft? Was that cruelty just a veil? Nonetheless, she kept looking at Dhaos, who paid no attention to her.

"…Do you hate us?" Dhaos said something.

"Huh?" Sara didn't know what he meant by 'us'.

"Dragon-Type Pokémon…" Dhaos said. "Do you hate Dragon-Type Pokémon?"

"Uh… why would I hate them?" Sara responded.

Dhaos closed his eyes. "I see… So, you didn't know about it…" Things became silent again before Dhaos once more spoke.

"Did you ever wonder…? Why do Dragon-Type Pokémon take quite a long period to become stronger and evolve?"

Sara didn't say anything and started to think. As she began to realise, Dragon-Type Pokémon are powerful. However, they took the longest time out of all the types to grow to such power. But… come to think of it, she has never seen Dragon-Type Pokémon at all until she met Elazul at Fone Village.

"The blood of Pokémon. It's just like what the mortals referred to as the species 'human', our blood grows in a steady rate, and we can lose blood in the same fashion via wounds. For the case of draconic blood, time ... slows down on us. Chronologically, we are growing in the same rate as other Pokémon. However, physically, our blood has a slow rate of growth. It's not the exact thing to be said now, but whatever the case, Dragon-Type Pokémon's growth is never the same as compared to other types. This phenomenon never had a solution on how we can grow with the exact rates just like other Pokémon. Because of this, our bodies grow slower because of the paranormal toll of time. Yet, our powers grow stronger than the average Pokémon." Dhaos explained. "And… that was the just the beginning of the discrimination… There were several more factors that led to… _that_."

"Discrimination on Dragon-Type Pokémon… It has always left a bitter taste in my mouth… just like the Hybrids… We can never live in peace. The whole world will never live in peace and harmony. That's why… I have to change it. No, I must change this corrupt system of evil." Dhaos sighed. "The irony is that… who is good or evil? I may be in the right, but… I may also be in the wrong…"

Dhaos looked in front of him. "We've arrived."

* * *

"That's all he told me before he entered Mt. Lavaggio." Sara finished her explanation. Luca was once again, silent. Now, he was too confused. Who is Dhaos? Is he even an enemy? Wait… what side does he work on? But… it was somehow right. There's no good or evil; it only derives from the perceptions of many. There were a lot of things that Dhaos has caused to terrorize Niata, but… somehow, he felt a small spark… of hope in Dhaos.

"Uh… Um…" Luca didn't know what to say after hearing about Dhaos. "Nnn…"

"We… are not sure whether to trust the information about Dhaos either." Cress said. "But… Van and Kalvin are the only ones who now believe in Sara. Honestly… I don't know either…"

"I don't think there's anything we can do for now…" Heart said. "Maybe… we can tell the Lake Guardians about this…"

"Oh, yeah! That's right!" Luca rummaged through his robes to find the Guardian Emblem. "Uhh… where is it…?" He continued to rummage through the pockets for quite a while. As everyone stared at Luca trying to find the Guardian Emblem, there is no doubt about the thought that is running through their minds that would say: 'Just what does he keep in his robes?'

"Nmm… Found it!" Luca pulled out the Guardian Emblem out of a robe pocket. "Okay… Uhh… Hmm… It's not responding…" Luca looked at it.

"It's not responding?" Van looked at the Guardian Emblem. "…Must be the temperature. Well… let's head back to the Kingdom of Namdiascar and tell them ourselves."

"..." Luca looked down, clearly depressed.

Van sighed. 'With the current situation here, Luca's not going to be fine at this rate… it'll be best to leave him alone for now…' he thought. He looked over to Elazul. Ever since they told him everything, Elazul has never said anything at all, less look at any of them.

"Aunt, we'll be leaving now." Van said.

"Alright." Kalvin said. "Now just make sure to eat a balanced meal every day, and…" Van placed a hand on his face and groaned.

* * *

Two hours later, the train has arrived at Roundome Station. Everyone on the train alighted on the platform, heading outside the train station. The party looked at the settlement around them. "Let's head back to the Kingdom of Namdiascar, fast." As everyone began to head to the right of the train station, Luca sighed loudly and began to walk, until he heard a voice.

'Luca!'

'Vanille?!' Luca thought. He was sure. That was Vanille's voice. 'How…?'

'I… I don't know…' Vanille said in Luca's mind. 'I'm not sure… but… I think… I'm in a mountain… and there's a chasm… and it keeps raining…'

'Wait… I think I know where you are…' Luca thought. 'Hold on…' He took out the Niata map from one of his robe pockets. 'Mountains… a chasm… a place where rain falls…' He soon found the exact location where Vanille managed to describe at most. 'Alright! I'm coming, Vanille!'

There was no response.

'Vanille?' Luca thought. '…Oh… I get it…' He turned away. 'Sorry, everyone… I've got to keep my promise to Vanille!' He began to run in the opposite direction the group was heading towards. Meanwhile, back at the group…

"Did anyone see Luca?" That question came from Arturo, who was looking around the group. As everyone began to look around, they noticed that Luca was missing from the group.

Elazul was the only one who didn't look around, but his head just turned around. "..."

* * *

Elsewhere, the rain has already started to pour down on that area. Normally, all the residents or visitors alike are under shelters to avoid getting drenched in this weather. Amid the heavy shower, however, a stranger clad in an attire consisting of mainly black along with a black hat that covered his eyes walked on one of the many pathways of this town. Other than the sounds of the heavy downpour, the sound of a coin being flipped regularly was drowned in the noise.

"Hmm…" The stranger continued walking, his feet usually sending water droplets out from the puddles he stepped in.

"Oh…?"

"I know you very well."

"Proposition?" The stranger said. He stopped flipping his coin, letting it land on his palm. He looked down at the coin, then back to the other stranger. "Heh, looks like I'm all ears this time. So… what's the proposition…?"

 **Chapter 20 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda (Politoed) – Bookworm (His dedication towards books… may be too addictive.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff +1 (Staff)**

 **Hello… Sorry I took so long to update. I've been very busy with exams, which is coming next week. So, I must prepare for this… But… at least two more chapters till the end of the Main Arc!**

 **Skit: I'm coming!**

 **Luca: (tired) "Huff… Huff… Vanille… I… I made a promise to you! I'm not going to break it! Hold on…" (determined face) "I'm coming! I'm going to rescue you!"**


	22. Chapter 21:The End of Revenge

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 21: The End of Revenge**

"Huff…Huff…"

Amidst the heavy shower that had covered most of the Western Sector, a blue-robed figure that wore a large cone hat kept on running through the plains. The flash of a lightning bolt lit up the face of the figure as it looked up momentarily, revealing it to be a Politoed, or more specifically, Luca R. Ezperanda.

"Wah!" Luca tripped and fell on the ground. He groaned as he got up slowly, careful not to slip on the wet ground. "Owowow…" Luca adjusted his hat and looked in front of him. "Viperon Edge…" Luca stared at the large mountain that towers in front of him. He stared down at the chasm between him and the mountain. He could not see the bottom of this pitch-black abyss even with the flashes of lightning. He looked at a bridge that connected the sides of the chasm and began to cross it slowly. "Hold on… I'm coming…" he said.

 **Viperon Edge**

Finally crossing the bridge, Luca has entered the interior of the mountain. "Okay…" he said to himself. "I've to keep on going up the floors of this mountain. Let's do this! Hm?" Luca noticed a green floating light that was near him from where he entered. Walking to it and examining it, he felt the green light bathe him. Somehow, he felt rejuvenated from that light. Luca noticed that there was some sort of inscription on a circle that was beneath the green light. "Oh… this is a Remembrance Field. If I go near one and interact with it… I'll be able to recover my progress through now. And this one is green… so I will recover all of my lost stamina as well." He knelt, waving his hand over the Remembrance Field. "…. There. Now I don't have to worry." He said, standing up.

Heading towards the only passageway in the mountain, Luca encountered plenty of Shadows, but he managed to flee from them before they dealt damage to him. "Huff…" Luca looked around his surroundings as he headed to the second floor. "No Shadows around here… hm?" He started to stare at a corridor at his right. There was a stairway over there, but it was separated by a large river of bubbling purplish liquid.

'Crossing towards that place looks impossible…' Luca thought. 'No, wait! I don't have time to explore! I've to find Vanille!' He looked away from the poisonous route and headed forward.

* * *

"Huff…Huff…"

It took quite a long time for his progress to the highest level of Viperon Edge as Luca munched on several Apple Gels to regain his lost strength from plenty of encounters, including those back attacks that took him by surprise and was unable to flee from those battles. "This should be the highest level… and I still haven't found Vanille yet…" he mumbled. "Where is she…?"

Luca started to continue onwards the only path in front of him. Further ahead, the path led to a large room. In the large room… Vanille and the Demon King were there.

"Now… you have to sing the Fonic Hymn." Dhaos said.

"I told you!" Vanille said. "I don't know what a 'Fonic Hymn' is!" If only she could get her bow, which rested at the other side of the room… then she could defend herself.

"Impossible." Dhaos said. "You sang it yourself, and yet, you don't even know what it is?"

"What are you talking about? I already said, I don't know!" Vanille shouted.

"Vanille!" A voice was heard from the entrance of the room. Vanille immediately recognized the voice. "Luca!" Vanille gasped.

"…Hn." Dhaos didn't look at the direction of the room's entrance and pointed his left head at that direction. Just as Luca appeared from the entrance, he was suddenly caught by several stones that latched onto his neck as he was slammed to the wall beside the room's entrance. Still looking at Vanille, Dhaos spoke. "I have no choice; you need to sing that Fonic Hymn. Now." After he spoke, he slightly motioned his left head's maw to close slightly.

"Gggggkkkkk…!" Luca grabbed onto the stones on his neck and tried to pull them off but to no avail. His feet also began its' struggle along with its' owner.

"No!" Vanille said, and then she faced Dhaos. "Stop! I really don't know what is the 'Fonic Hymn'!"

"You need to sing the Fonic Hymn. Now." Dhaos said as his left head's maw began to close slowly, and Luca began to struggle more as his feet began to swing wildly in the air.

"I told you! I really don't know! I don't…" Vanille began to tear as she watched Luca struggling and knew she couldn't do anything now to help. Soon, the head of Dhaos's left maw was nearly closed and Luca was nearly choked to death's door.

Dhaos looked once at the room's entrance, feeling some sort of familiar presence, but he dismissed it and continued to look back at Vanille. Then, something metallic flew in front of him. Barely managing to evade it, Dhaos floated backwards and looked at the metallic object that nearly got him. A partisan dug through the rocky wall on his right. Because of the sudden attack, Dhaos lost concentration and the stones on Luca fell to the floor, clutching his throat from that near-death experience. He then turned around and raised his right head, sending his orb hidden behind his mantle to counter a physical blow from three maroon claws as the owner, a bat-like wyvern leaped over Dhaos, landing near the spear and pulled it out with ease. Dhaos was about to raise his left head but suddenly raised his right head to produce a barrier to shield himself from the strike of a broadsword. He forced himself to retreat once again and looked at the direction of the entrance. There was the whole group that he had met through his encounters with them. Vanille managed to retreat to them as well along with her bow.

"Are you okay?" Cress said to Luca as Heart used her healing magic on him. Luca rubbed his neck. "Yeah…"

"Tch." Elazul looked at Luca. "Why do I always have to save your ass?" he muttered. "But there's no time to think about that, we have him to face." As he spoke, he turned his head to face Dhaos.

"So, you have found me." Dhaos said. "I applaud you for such a feat. However, you cannot stop me." He held the Spirit Pendant hanging on his neck and uttered words to it. After he spoke, a swarm of Shadows appeared in front of him.

"Why must you stop me?" Dhaos said. "This world has already gone too far on the path to imminent doom. I must change this corrupt world from the lurking evil!"

"Evil?" Van said. "You have caused crimes all around Niata, and you still think you have the right to tell what's evil?!"

"Yes, you have gone too far for such distasteful actions." Arturo said. "Needless to say, I am not pleased with your actions."

"Once a villain, always a villain, right?" Alvin said.

"A clash of ideals, is that it?" Dhaos closed his eyes. Reopening then, he said: "Fine! Let us see who will be the victor of this battle; the 'evil' me or the 'corrupt' you!" Sending his orb to float beside him, a harsh wind blew from around him.

 **Dhaos, the Demon King**

"Ruination! Violent Pain!" Dhaos raised his left head, summoning black tendrils around the party. "Guardian!" The party shouted, raising their weapons in a defensive stance as the tendrils curved and dove down at them. The tendrils struck green barriers that surrounded each party member before sinking into the ground.

After the assault ended, the group dispersed into physical fighters and ranged attackers. Van jumped up, spinning vertically with his broadsword. "Tempest Strike!" He slashed the Shadows in front of him. Before landing, he performed Flame Wheel to wrap himself and his broadsword in flames. "Burn! Blazing Tempest!" He spun once more to strike the remaining Shadows in front of him in a wreath of flames.

"Help me out, Arturo!" Alvin called out.

"Alright, I understand. Taah!" Arturo thrusted his sword lute rapidly at the Shadows in front of them. Alvin then jumped up, swinging both gunblades down. "Your move!" Arturo said, backing off. "Leave it to me!" Alvin said. "Tiger Quake!" As his gunblades made contact on the ground, it created a small earthquake beneath him.

"Raaaah!" Cress mowed down the area. "Take this!" She swung her sledgehammer around, generating electricity to surround her as she attacked. "Lightning Punishment!" She swept down the remaining Shadows that surrounded her before she headed to the direction of Dhaos.

The Demon King looked around him and saw that Cress, Arturo, Alvin and Elazul were charging at him. His orb radiated with a blue light before he swung it down. "Dhaos Collider!" When it made contact on the ground, the blue light was released as a wave from the orb that forced the group to be thrown back by the wave which tore a large hole in the rock wall behind Dhaos.

"It's no use…" Heart said. "Dhaos's too strong…"

"Then, what do we do!?" Cress said.

"Hmm…" Luca rubbed his head, thinking of something as everyone grouped together to decide on their next moves. His head rose to look at the violent storm that was still raging around the area… wait… storm?

'That's it!' Luca thought. He looked at everyone. "Buy me some time! I know what to do!" he said. "Don't let Dhaos interrupt me!" Holding on to his staff, Luca began to concentrate magic in him as he prepared his spell.

"Hmph." Elazul looked at Dhaos. "Just don't finish him off with whatever you're casting. Only I am allowed to do that." He told Luca, who was concentrating.

"What are you doing?" Dhaos said. "Whatever it is, you can't stop me."

"Let's see about that…" Elazul readied his spear. Alvin was the first to go, charging at Dhaos with both gunblades. Dhaos readied his orb and commanded it to slam at Alvin.

"Woah!" Alvin jumped to the side to avoid Dhaos's attack. Dhaos then turned to swiftly block a strike from Cress. He directed his orb to return to strike her away from him. Cress barely managed to block the attack, stepping back quite a distance. Moving away, he dodged slashes from Arturo and Van's swords. He swiftly repelled everyone away with Dhaos Collider.

"Is it done yet?" Vanille asked.

"No…" Luca said, continuing his charging of magic. Vanille looked at the battle, shooting several arrows at Dhaos. Dhaos noticed the arrows heading his way and projected a barrier to stop the arrows from harming him.

"Is it done yet?!" Cress shouted from the battle. She proceeded to block an attack from Dhaos.

"Not yet…! Almost ready…" Luca said.

"Hurry u-Gah!" Cress dropped her guard and was thrown away by a Dhaos Collider like the rest of the group. "It's done!" Luca shouted, fully charging the magic needed to cast his spell. Weaving signs, he began to chant the spell.

"I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, call upon thee who opens the gates of hell. Come forth, divine lightning!" As Luca chanted, Dhaos looked down and noticed a large magic circle below him and he looked up to see several rings above him. A beam of light shot up from the circle, piercing through the stormy clouds. Several more beams of light spiralled from the magic circle and went up to the skies, creating a brilliant light.

"No…!" Dhaos stared at the light in the sky.

Luca raised his hand to the sky. Electricity began to crackle around his hand, causing him to flinch in pain due to the type disadvantage against electric-based effects. Nonetheless, Luca opened one eye slowly, staring at the sky as he ended the incantation of the spell. Giving a shout, Luca waved his hand down to the ground. "This ends now! Indignation!"

"No…" Dhaos said as the light started to intensify. "Impossible…!" From the skies, a maelstrom of lightning struck down on Dhaos. "GAH!" Dhaos shouted as the lightning continuously struck down on him. As the spell ended, Luca gasped and panted, falling on his rear after casting the spell. The whole area around Dhaos was covered in smoke produced from the aftermath of the lightning. Elazul began his dash towards a clouded figure in the smoke.

"Hrrraaaaagh! This is the end!" Elazul roared. He thrusted his spear towards the clouded figure… but he stopped. As the smoke cleared out, the figure was indeed Dhaos. He was floating weakly from the powerful spell that took him by surprise. He was in no state to fight. Dhaos was looking at the lance that was nearly touching him, the he looked at the owner's face. Elazul had anger and revenge on it… but for some reason, his face was also twisted with fear and sorrow.

'Why…?! Why can't I do it?!' Elazul screamed mentally. His arms trembled. 'He's the one who caused the death of my brother! He's the one who made me who I am now! But… But why…?!' His thoughts came to a stop when Dhaos grabbed his lance. The Hydriegon didn't try to turn the weapon around so that he could harm Elazul, but instead, he thrust the lance towards himself and impaled himself.

"You think… that you could actually kill me with such a weak heart?" Dhaos questioned Elazul as blood began to seep out from the wound. He made short gasps as he slowly pulled the lance off from him, staggering backwards. It was noticeable that his levitation was failing as he descended as well. "Don't make me laugh…"

"Healing Circle…" Heart produced a white light to heal the party. As everyone else got up slowly and looked at the staggering Dhaos, Van was the first to speak. "My sister told me that you wish for a world of peace and harmony, but still… what you did is unjustifiable…" Van said. "Why don't you… change in order to find your method to create the world of peace?"

"Demons… like me… have no right to live in this world… It's already been decided by fate…" Dhaos said. He slowly turned his main head to look at Elazul. "…Running away from the darkness, Elazul del Fable… That's typical of you."

"What?!" Elazul shouted. "What are you talking about?! And how do you know my full name?!"

"…" Dhaos turned to see what was behind him. Then he faced Elazul. "…Why don't you find that out yourself?" He said. "There's always darkness in everyone's hearts. One day, you will no longer reject the darkness… Remember that… Hybrid…" As he began to tilt backwards, Elazul's eyes widened.

"Dhaos!"

He made a dash to the edge of the room and tried to grab Dhaos. But Dhaos has already fell before Elazul managed to reach him. Dhaos plunged down towards the chasm below him, disappearing through the darkness of the chasm.

"…." Elazul stared at the chasm, where Dhaos fell. "Who are you, Dhaos?"

"Is… it over…?" Luca said. He fumbled as he tried to walk to Elazul's side.

"…." Elazul didn't reply as he continued to stare at the chasm.

"E…Ela-…? I feel… dizzy…" Luca mumbled. He started to fumble around his spot before collapsing on the ground. "Luca?!" Vanille said, catching the wyvern's attention and prompting him to turn around to see Luca losing consciousness.

"Luca?!" He shouted, knelling down to the unconscious Luca. Heart took a look at Luca with her healing magic. "It's no good… the spell he has casted placed a tremendous strain in him…" Heart said. "He needs immediate attention…"

"Grr…!" Elazul positioned Luca on his back. "Let's head back to the Kingdom of Namdiascar! They'll know what to do!"

 **Chapter 21 End**

* * *

 **Finally, the Demon King has been defeated… but… Is Dhaos truly good or evil? It depends on the perspectives of who perceives them… so we will never know the right answer…**

 **Still, nostalgia, anyone? :D**

 **Skit: Viperon Edge - Dhaos (if the battle is lost against Dhaos)**

 **Luca: (hurt) "Huff…Huff… He's too strong…"**

 **Cress: (hurt) "The Demon King… So, that's the extent of his power…"**

 **Luca: (worried) "If I don't have time to cast my spells, I can't help in this battle! Everyone has to buy time for me so that I can cast my spells!"**

 **Cress: "Easy for you to say… We'd get knocked out from even his physical artes and we can't do anything to help you by then! Not only that, we'd be dead if he casts his spells!"**

 **Luca: "We'd just have to ensure that he doesn't hit all of us at once…"**

 **Cress: (normal) "So, we'd just have to make sure that all of us aren't wiped out?"**

 **Luca: (normal) "Uh-huh. Eventually, he must have a limit to his abilities, and before he is exhausted, we have to avoid being defeated."**

 **Cress: (determined) "All right. Let's do this again, we will win this time!"**


	23. Chapter 22:Hope and Despair

**Tales of Faith**

 **Main Arc**

 **Chapter 22: Hope and Despair**

"…Uhh…" As he let out a loud yawn, Luca stretched his arms to the air. "Hwah…" He rubbed his eyes and spoke. "Where am I?" As he looked around his surroundings, he noticed that the room he was in was quite sophisticated in appearance. The bed he rested on was made of fine materials. It felt so soft.

"Luca! You're awake!" As Luca turned to his right where the voice came from, he saw Vanille with a relieved expression on her face. "Nnn…? Vanille?" Luca wondered. He blinked a few more times, adjusting himself to the environment around him. "Oh! Vanille!" He said to her. "Where are we?"

Vanille rubbed her head. "Umm… I think it is the Castle of Namdiascar. A lot of things happened that I don't remember which is which…" Vanille admitted.

"The Castle of Namdiascar?!" Luca reacted with surprise. "How did we get here?"

"Well… Elazul brought you here to the Kingdom to search for a clinic to check on you…" Vanille explained. "But… about all the clinics he visited were full or busy… so he went to the Castle of Namdiascar… and… err… hmm…" Hesitantly, she took a slip of paper that was resting on the table beside the bed and looked at it. "And… the Princess was no longer busy from the last time we visited… err… And you were brought to the medical bay and was examined… They said that you were fortunate to be alive despite that deep strain you've suffered from casting a powerful spell…"

"Oh…" was all Luca said before he suddenly yelped in pain. "Ow…" Luca directed his attention to his rear area and dug through the rear pocket on his left, taking out a sharp tooth. It was hanging from a long circular string that gives it the appearance of a neckwear accessory.

"What is that?" Vanille asked Luca.

"Oh, this?" Luca looked at the tooth. "Elazul gave this to me about a few weeks after we met back in the guild." His face widened with a joyful smile as he spoke. "He told me to keep this with me at all times. Anyway… this is the first thing that he gave to me… So… I gotta treasure it!"

"He may act like a jerk or ignore me frequently…" Luca went on. "But… once you get to know him better, you'd find out that he can actually get along well with you." As he said his next words, they were barely audible. "Besides… the both of us knows loneliness…"

"Huh?" Vanille didn't hear those words. "What did you say?"

"Oh. It's nothing serious…" Luca said. "Hnn… Oh, yeah! What about Van?" His head lit up in realisation and he asked Vanille that question.

"Van? Oh, yeah! I forgot about him!" Vanille gasped. "I think that he was at… err… hmm…" She took another look at the slip of paper. "The… audience hall and he is in a court from since I left the room to look for you…"

"Uh-oh!" Luca hastily got off from the bed. "We've gotta convince them to let Van go! He helped us a lot of times before, so we gotta help him now!"

"Mn! Okay!" Vanille said. As they left the room, Luca first noticed that there is someone waiting outside for them: Elazul del Fable. "You two." He said.

"Elazul!" Luca said. "Where's the audience hall?!"

"You don't need to go there. The case has already been closed." Elazul replied. "It ended without any sort of punishment."

"Then, where's Van?"

"At the guest room, along with everyone else. If you want to know more, then talk to him." Elazul told Luca. Luca nodded in response. "Oh, okay!" He faced Vanille. "Okay, let's go!"

"You're going to get lost, aren't you?" Elazul suddenly said. Luca stopped to face Elazul. "To get to the guest room, take a left down the stairs to the first floor. Afterward, head right and open the second door on your right."

"Take a left to the stairs… Go down to the first floor… and go to the second room on the right…" Luca repeated. "Okay! I got it! Thanks a lot!" Luca hurried down the stairs… and tripped, tumbling down the remaining stairs. Vanille gasped, and hurried down the stairs to help him. Elazul stared silently at the stairway before he felt a sharp pain in his left wing, a pain too familiar to him. He clutched it, opening an eye slowly as he stared at his wing.

'What's happening to me…?'

* * *

Several knocks were heard from the door leading to the guest room. In that guest room, Van, Sara, Arturo, Heart and a Diancle wearing a sophisticated aqua blue dress. "Who's that?" Heart wondered. The door opened, and Luca along with Vanille entered the room. He immediately looked over at Van's direction. "Van! You're alright!"

"Mn. Good to see you, Luca." Van nodded as he looked at Luca.

"Luca?"

Luca turned to his right, where he heard that voice. It belonged to that Diancle in an aqua blue dress. She started to advance towards him slowly, as if studying him. She looked at his left, then at his right. "Umm… Can I help you, miss?" Luca asked her. The Diancle proceeded to prod Luca's face with her hands.

After prodding his face for a while and withdrawing her hands, the Diancle spoke. "It is you, Luca."

"Who're you again?" Luca started to ponder, rubbing a finger on his head.

"Oh…" The Diancle said. "You don't remember me? We met at the garden when we were young. It's me, Princess Arche." Luca just stared blankly before stepping back in shock. "Pr-Princess Arche! It's you! You look-, I mean look you-, I bean-" Luca continued to fumble through his words in complete confusion.

Princess Arche giggled. "It's all right, Luca. I didn't recognize you initially when you first entered the room either. You… really have changed a lot…" she said. "Those robes of yours are really… umm… unique…"

"Eheheh…" Luca rubbed the back of his head. "Stop it…"

"Luca, who's that?" Vanille wondered.

Luca turned around. "Oh, this is the princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar. She's a friend I met way back when I was a child."

Princess Arche nodded. "To be precise, my name is Archelain Til Namdiascar VII, the princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar." Arche introduced herself to Vanille. "What is your name?"

Vanille introduced herself. "I'm Cloudia Vanille! Please call me Vanille, your Highness!"

"Vanille…" Princess Arche nodded. "I understand. I'll remember your name." The princess rests herself on the couch she had sat on earlier prior to Luca's entrance. "I have to thank you. You have defeated the Demon King Dhaos. But… if I had known that you would have tried to stop him, I would have stopped you." The princess sighs. "I must be a failure for a princess if I couldn't do anything to at least halt Dhaos…"

"Th-That's not true, Princess Arche!" Luca told her. "You were busy with a lot of things, so it couldn't be helped! We still managed to defeat him, though!"

"… But you casted one of the most powerful and risky spells known in the world, Indignation." Princess Arche told him. Luca looked at her, confused. "I suppose that I should tell you." Princess Arche said. "Indignation is a powerful spell that summons heavenly lightning from above to strike down on the enemy. However, since such a spell requires an immense amount of magic energy to cast it, it puts a severe strain on the bodies of those who don't have enough magic energy. Most of these casters were usually found lifeless…"

Everyone else in the room, excluding the princess, had a similar reaction of surprise and shock.

"Most of them... die from casting Indignation?" Arturo asked. "What a magic spell…"

"…When you were brought here, I was greatly worried about you, that you wouldn't make it. But… it seems that there's nothing wrong with you." Princess Arche manages a smile. "I checked personally. There's nothing wrong with your health."

"Oh…" Luca nodded. "That was a powerful spell…" He looked over at Van. "...Oh! That's right! Van! What happened at the audience chambers?!" he asked Van.

"I can explain." Princess Arche told him. "When I arrived at the audience chambers, there was a huge audience. Most of them showed revoke on the culprit, Van Grantieur, the 'Berserker' from Fone Village. There were several other Pokémon that were near the culprit. They told me about everything that has happened, especially that Dragon-Type wyvern. Of course, there was a ruckus going on in the audience hall. But I managed to personally examine Van."

"She read my mind." Van said.

"You read minds?" Vanille asked.

"Yes." Princess Arche smiles. "It's one of my talents. As I was continuing… I read Van's mind… and saw that he and the others were telling the truth. The battle from the beginning, stopping the growth of the Shadows… and finally, defeating the Demon King. It was a lot to take in, but I gave my verdict. He is free. At least, after he has paid 10, 000 Poké."

Van looked down. "I'll never forget that…"

"Princess." A voice that clearly signified importance spoke from the door of the room. An Aegislash floated just outside the guest room. "It's time for the meeting." The Aegislash said. Princess Arche sighed, nodding. "I'll be there." She began to head out of the guest room before stopping briefly to the rest of the party. She gave a bow. "I hope that all of you will be safe."

She then left the room along with the Aegislash.

"So… what will you do?" Luca asked everyone.

"My brother and I'll be returning to Fone Village. Princess Arche has provided hands to rebuild the village." Sara told Luca. "Don't worry about anything. Please visit the village when it's been fully rebuilt!"

"I am not certain about my future…" Arturo said. "While I plan my future actions, I hope that our paths will cross again…"

"Where's Alvin, and Cress?" Luca asked.

"Alvin already left our group." Van said. "He's… well, a mercenary, and he's out to search for some jobs."

"Cress… oh." Heart said, getting off from the couch and taking her pouch. "I'm going out of the chambers."

"Hey, let me follow you!" Luca volunteered.

"Luca?" Heart asked. "Hmm… I suppose that it'll be fine."

* * *

"A bar?" Luca looked at the building where Heart brought him to in confusion.

"If I remember, she last entered this place. I tried to stop her, but she was stubborn." Heart said.

"YA CALLIN' MY CHEST FLAT?! BASTARD!" A voice recognizable to them roared from the bar.

"Oh no…" Heart sighed. Luca decided to push the door open only to see quite a ridiculously unbelievable sight imaginable.

"GWAAAAH! URK!" A Pokémon, most noticeably a Machoke, was slammed at a table, splitting it in half. The one who threw him was a Flaffy who Luca and Heart knew. Her head swirled around as she attempted to gain her footing. Cress had half-lidded eyes, a pink blush that was visible below her eyes. Her movements as she apparently struggled to stand straight were sluggish, no, out-of-control would be a better word to describe it. Overall, Cress looked intoxicated.

"C'mon, ya bastards! Want another beatin'?!" Cress shouted, her voice slurred. She didn't even need an answer as a random Pokémon charged at her. She almost immediately swirled around with incredible speed and intercepted the blow before throwing the poor victim away.

"How did Cress do that?!" Luca exclaimed.

"Never mind that!" Heart shouted, taking out a bottle filled with clear liquid. She rushed through the groaning victims that suffered from Cress's rampage and splashed the liquid on her face. "Gh…?! You…" Cress's eyes began to open fully as she began to shake her head. She placed a paw on her face. "What the…?" It seems that Cress has regained her senses.

"Cress, are you okay?" Heart asked.

"So… you're really sensitive about your chest?" Luca asked.

Cress's 'eyebrows' rose. "Wh-Where did you hear that?!" she demanded.

"You were shouting about it a moment ago…" Luca told her.

"I-I-I-I-I am definitely NOT worried about my chest, all right?! A-Anyway, y-you didn't see everything that has happened, got it!?" Cress told them, her tone somehow threatening.

"Of course not…" Heart said.

"Uhh… Okay…" Luca said.

Heart decided to change the subject of the current conversation. "So, Cress… Are you leaving now?" she asked.

"Huh? What do you mean by 'leave'?" Luca wondered.

"Well… I don't feel like I have enough power to protect Heart." Cress explained. "So… I have to go on a journey to strengthen myself."

"Huh?" Luca was quite shocked from Cress's words, looking at Heart. "Will you be okay without Cress, Heart?" He asked.

Heart gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I can take care of myself." She told Luca. "It's not the first time Cress has went on a training journey, though..."

Cress noticeably blushed, looking away. "I-I'm going to be alright, okay?!" she said. "I'm going off right now!" She marched into the bar, and from the open doors, most of the Pokémon immediately retreated away from her as she grabbed her bag. She then marched out of the bar and headed off in a direction without saying goodbye. Heart looked at where Cress had departed on her journey. "Well… I should be off now… Goodbye, Luca." Heart said. She then headed at the opposite direction where Cress had gone.

Luca watched silently after both Cress and Heart left. He looked down. "Hmm… I probably should look for Elazul." Luca said to himself. He pondered for a while before shaking his head. "…Nah. I don't think he'll want me to bother him. I'd better get back to the castle…" he mutters, walking along the path that would lead him back to the castle. He notices Vanille running up towards him, looking excited. "What is it, Vanille?"

"Luca!" Vanille spoke excitedly. "Princess Arche has given an announcement to hold a festival tonight!"

"A festival?" Luca wondered.

"Yeah! It is to celebrate the fall of the Demon King!" Vanille answered.

"Wow… that's really neat!" Luca said.

"Anyway… Luca, what's a 'festival'?" she asked curiously.

* * *

"Aaaah~...!" Vanille's eyes glistened in excitement as she explored around the crowded streets of the Kingdom of Namdiascar. Even if it was for a duration between and afternoon and night, the residents and soldiers wasted no time in preparing such a festive event through the whole Kingdom. She was practically moving swiftly from stall to stall, looking at what each store has to offer.

Luca walked at a steady pace, watching Vanille explore the festival. 'Wow… it's really her first time in a festival…' Luca thought. He took a look at the goods at one stall, but he quickly left that stall once he noticed that Vanille had stopped by at a stall, holding something. Vanille was holding onto a bracelet which was made of quite antique materials. There was also some sort of spacing on the bracelet, apparently to fit something in it.

"Hmm… What is this?" Vanille asked.

"That's a bracelet." Luca answered. "You wear it on your arm." He took a closer look at the bracelet Vanille was holding. "…And it should fit!" He turned to face the stall owner, a Kecleon. "How much is this bracelet?"

"5, 000 Poké." The Kecleon told him. Luca jolted back. "This much for a bracelet?" he asked in disbelief. He started to rummage through his robe pockets. "Let's see… Where did I put it…" he mumbled, making no progress in finding his Poké.

"Here you go." Vanille passed a pouch to the Kecleon. The Kecleon opens the pouch and checked its' contents. There's plenty of Poké in that pouch and took out the currency until he stopped taking out coins from the pouch, passing it back to Vanille. "Thank you for your patronage." He calmly says.

Vanille and Luca left the stall, stopping by at a bench that was unoccupied. Vanille looks at the bracelet with amazement. She stared at the spacing in the bracelet, then gasped, as if in realization. She took out the Opal from her bag, placing it at the spacing in the bracelet. It fits perfectly. "From now on, I'm wearing my Opal on this bracelet!" Vanille said.

"Hmm…" Luca looked at a clock stationed opposite of the bench. "Vanille, I want to show you a surprise." He said.

"A surprise? Ooh… What is it?" Vanille asked.

"Like I said: a surprise. Follow me!" Luca motioned Vanille to follow him. Vanille did so and they headed off across the crowded streets. After some time of walking, they left the crowded streets and entered the gardens. As Vanille looked around the gardens, Luca brought her to an open spot in the gardens.

"Where's the surprise?" Vanille asked.

"Not yet. You got to wait for a while, Vanille."

"Okay…" Vanille nodded. She decided to ask Luca something. "Where's Elazul?" Vanille wondered. "I haven't seen him for some time…"

'Come to think of it… I haven't seen him since we left the room…' Luca thought. He faced Vanille with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's alright!" Vanille nodded. "Okay… So… where's the surprise again?" she asked, looking around.

"Right… now!"

After Luca spoke, the grass started to light up. Speckles of light began to rise from around Luca and Vanille. The lights began to float towards the night skies. "Wow…!" Vanille gasped with joy. Her eyes clearly showed amazement of the beautiful sight around her. "It's so pretty!"

"Amazing, right?" Luca said. Vanille nodded and touched one of the glowing lights lightly with her hand. The light buzzed around, and as Vanille looked at it more clearly, she noticed that it was a bug. She gasped in joy once again as she looked at the firefly before it left to the skies. As Luca looked around the scenery, he could notice something quite far from their position.

'Hey, isn't that…?' Luca thought, squinting his eyes towards the figure he could see in the night. He looked at Vanille. She was too distracted from the fireflies. 'She's not going to mind that I'll be gone for a while.' He thought as he headed towards where he saw that figure, leaving Vanille. As he neared the figure, he could tell that it was his closest friend, his back facing him.

"Elazul!" Luca called out.

"…Don't follow me."

"Huh?" Luca asked, as he continued to advance towards Elazul. "What do you mean-AH!" Before he could get close to him, his neck nearly met the tip of the sharp blade of a spear. Elazul held his spear on the right set of claws and pointing it to Luca. "I said… don't follow me. Whatever you do, just head back to the guild and don't try to find me…" Elazul said. His face never looked at Luca's. Drawing his spear back slowly, he swiftly places it on his back, taking off immediately from the ground. "Aah!" Luca shouted, falling backwards.

"Luca!" Vanille's shout came from behind. It appears that she had noticed his shout and was heading towards him. Helping him up, she asked him. "What happened?!" Luca turned to face Vanille. "Elazul… he… he…" He cried out in a gasp, pressing a hand on his neck. "…He… He…"

"Luca! Please calm do–" Vanille suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Luca stared at her in silence. She was not even moving at all, her face remained the same for a long time. "Vanille?" Luca asked. "Vanille!" He stood up, seeing a leaf airborne right in front of him. He paused. The leaf was not even falling. Turning around, practically everything around him was frozen in time. Everything had completely come to a stop. Except for him, most likely.

"Wh-What the…? What happened…?" Luca wondered. He began to feel some sort of presence. "Who's there…?" Luca asked. His question was answered as a figure clad in a suit of armor appeared from behind a nearby tree. The figure had a helmet on, so Luca couldn't tell what species it was.

"I see that he has already gone off…" The figure with the helmet spoke.

"Who're you?!" Luca asked. He was clearly frightened by the tone of his shaking voice. He could feel some sort of terrifying aura emanating from this figure. "I am not inclined to tell you my name." the figure says. The figure slightly shifts an arm.

"Uh…!" Luca, for some reason, instinctively reached out to grab his staff. But he couldn't. His hand was just right in front of the staff. Yet, it shook violently and he couldn't get a good grip. He was easily showing his fear.

"He has gone on his own path." The figure said. "There's no need for hindrances to drag him along on his own journey."

"H-Hindrance?!" Luca said.

"I'm referring to you. You keep slowing him down. You're just his dead weight from letting him achieve ultimate power." The figure told Luca.

"You're lying!" Luca cried. "I know Elazul! He'd never say something like that!"

"Do you?" The figure questioned. "Hm. Let's just see how long those games of 'friendship' lasts. Oh, and one more thing: Leave that worthless reject alone… trust me. She is not going to like her real identity." The figure pointed at Vanille.

Luca looked at the figure. His mind hurt. There was too much to take in all at once. Elazul would never think of him as a hindrance, right? Why is Vanille being called a reject? What does it mean by 'reject', anyway? Who is this figure?! The figure looked like it was done with its' business. It began to walk off further away from them, soon disappearing from sight. Almost immediately, time returned to its' natural state.

"–wn!" Vanille finished. Her eyes blinked. Luca was just beside her a second ago, and now he was in front of her. "…Luca? What's wrong?" Vanille asked, getting closer to him.

Luca clutched his chest, his breathing picking up its pace, until his knees could no longer support him and he fell to the ground while everything went dark around him.

"Luca?! Are you alright?! Say somethi…"

* * *

' _Hmm…'_

' _The weather's still the same… Just like the rest of those days…'_

' _Oh? The monolith… More words are appearing… Let's see… Hmm… Interesting… But the only thing I can do for now is to read it… No one else can understand what I'm saying…'_

' _Moreover… what am I going to do with this body? It fell from above… Hmm… Might as well preserve it… It still has a chance to live…'_

' _Ohh… I hope that I'll get a chance to leave this place…'_

 _'Until then, I'd just have to wait...'_

* * *

 **Chapter 22 End**

 **Main Arc End**

 **And thus... I finally have some free time and updated this story, along with the end of the Main Arc.**

 **But... what has happened? Why did Elazul point his weapon at Luca like that? And who's that mysterious figure in the armor?**

 **And thus I'll soon open up the next arc... but before that, I'll post a chapter relating to the past. Can you guess who I'll talk about?**


	24. EX Chapter 1:Remembrance

**Tales of Faith**

 **EX Chapter 1: Remembrance**

 _Five years ago, from the present time…_

Out of the continents that reside in the world, the region named Niata, is what could be referred to as the birth of the world. Niata was the first continent that was named after the land was split into different sections. Even though life had its' struggles from the beginning of Niata, it had gradually evolved through millennia to become what is was today. For now, we'll be looking at the Eastern Region.

The Ad Libitum in the Eastern Region… It has a unique system as compared to the other guilds. This Ad Libitum focuses on cooperation skills, so guild members work in pairs or more preferably, a trio or a quadriad. As a custom, each guild member wore an attire to represent their guild. Sometimes, there was a bit of collision on the chemistry between guild members, so some of the guild members handle their assignments solo. Currently, the main section of the guild, where guild members take on requests and finish them at the earliest convenience was bustling with activity.

"So, which request do you think we should take today?" A Grovyle at the bulletin board said.

"I don't know. Anything that does not involve a lot of work, I guess." A Lickitung beside him said.

"Now, that isn't possible." Grovyle said. "Remember: all for the guild!"

"Ah, then I'm choosing…" Lickitung looked at the bulletin board before he felt someone bump him on the back. "Hey, watch where you're-" He stopped upon seeing the one who bumped into him. A Noivern, dressed in tattered brown clothing unlike the other guild members, turned around to face him. "…What?" The Noivern spoke coldly.

"N-Nothing…" Lickitung turned away and faced the board. The Noivern said nothing and just walked away from them. Apart from the duo that were at the bulletin board, the rest of the guild members had their eyes watching the Noivern as he headed towards a corridor. Once he has entered the corridor, no longer seen by anyone in the room, the guild members resumed their usual activities. "…That was… the guild member who registered here about six months ago, wasn't he?" Lickitung asked Grovyle.

"Yeah. Other than the rumoured Demon King, that guy's currently the only existing Dragon-Type Pokémon that Niata knows." Grovyle answered.

Along the corridor where he entered through, all of the guild members that were in the corridor stepped away from him, all staring at him as he passed by. He noticed that clearly, yet, he continued on without saying anything.

"WAAAAAAAH!"

A young voice suddenly shrieked loudly. Before Noivern could look to see the source of the voice, he felt something crash into him with such immense force that he fell on the ground. "Owowow…" The thing that crashed onto him mumbled. As his vision started to focus properly, he could clearly see a Politoed slightly shorter than its' natural height wearing large blue robes lying on top of him. A sheet of paper landed on Noivern's face.

The Politoed gasped. "Uh-oh!" He grabbed the paper on Noivern's face and got off him. He scurried around, grabbing the other sheets of paper that laid around them. Afterwards, he sped off in a direction, and tripping, before continuing off in that direction. Noivern stared at the direction where the small Politoed ran off to. '…Never seen that kid before.' He thought. '…It's none of my business.' He shook his head as he got up, heading to the end of the corridor, where the cafeteria is.

* * *

After taking his tray from the counter, the Noivern heads to the tables towards a seat. As usual, the seat where he usually eats at is empty. Placing his tray on the table, he begins to eat the omelettes that were on today's menu slowly. About the seating part, it was a complete exaggeration. The tables that surrounded the one where Noivern is eating at were completely empty. As much as there were empty seats, the guild members never sat at the tables near him. When one would near those tables, they would notice him, flinch, and quickly leave to find other 'spare' seats. But today…

"Empty seat… empty seat…"

The wyvern-like bat stopped eating momentarily to see the Politoed in blue robes wandering through the tables, carrying a tray of food. He hasn't noticed the area of empty tables, until now. The Politoed hurries over to that, much to the shock and surprise of several guild members who were watching him. Even from his seat, his ears could hear the whispers going on around the tables. "Is that kid seriously going to _that_ area?" is one such whisper. Another whisper is "He can't be sitting beside… _him_." While he heard those whispers, he noticed that the Politoed is now looking around the empty tables, before heading towards the table he sat at. He lowered his head as the Politoed neared the table until he was just in front of the seat at the other side of the table.

"Hello, mister! Can I sit h-Oh…!" The Politoed said in surprise, recognizing him. "I know you! We just met a while ago!" He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry for landing on you earlier… So… can I sit here, if you don't mind?"

"Can you… sit here?" Noivern said in a rough voice. When he looked at the Politoed, it was a normal reaction for the Politoed to flinch, stepping back twice. From the Politoed's perspective, he was getting a glare from the Noivern. It was like he's giving off a vibe that reads 'I'm going to pick a fight with you.'

"…Fine. Sit." Noivern said. "O-Oh, okay! Thank you!" The Politoed nodded quickly before placing his tray on the table and taking the seat. Meanwhile, now the whole cafeteria had their attention directed at the seat.

"I am so glad there was an empty seat! I'm just getting used to things around here. Oh, I just joined the guild today. I'm just a newcomer, but I'm very pleased to meet you! My name is Luca! Luca R. Ezperanda!" The Politoed said cheerfully, and he had a smile on his face during the whole time he talked. "What's your name?"

'He's going to keep yapping his mouth if I don't answer, won't he…?' Noivern thought as he looked at the newcomer. "…. Elazul. Elazul del Fable." The Noivern finally said after a long while.

"Elazul…" Luca nodded and continued to smile. "Alright! You look really experienced… so, good to meet you, senior!"

Elazul didn't say anything. He just stood up from his seat and picked up his tray. He proceeded to walk away from the table. "Huh? Are you ignoring me?" Luca called out from his seat. The bat-like wyvern just kept walking and walking, further away from the table as Luca's callings got less audible. "The guild members are going to be assigned to teams tomorrow! I hope I find a super strong part-" By then, he had already left the cafeteria and could no longer hear Luca. Luca stared at the direction where Elazul headed off to, and looked at the empty seat in front of him.

"It feels lonely here…" Luca looked down at his tray, giving out a loud sigh. It's his first day here, and he hasn't made any progress in getting acquainted with all the guild members. Meanwhile, at the corridor where Elazul entered. He continued to eat the food on his tray, but for some reason, he felt unaccustomed to the taste now. "…lked to me…" Elazul kept on muttering in shock. "Someone… talked to me… I've been sitting on that seat for six months… and someone talked to me…"

* * *

The next day, the gathering hall where meetings were held for large events in Ad Libitum is filled with all the guild members in this guild. The guild's Master, a Bewear, tapped the microphone set in a stand resting on the stage. After an audible feedback, the Master spoke. "Good afternoon. Today, I've gathered all of you in the hall to decide on the placements of teams." He looked down on several sheets of paper he was holding on to. "The first team will be…"

It took quite some time while the teams are formed. The newly formed teams stood by on the stage where they'll be given brief messages about cooperation after all the teams have been formed. Elazul shook his head. 'I can't be bothered with this crap.' He thought, heading towards the doors of the gathering hall. He could still hear the formation of the teams as he neared the doors.

"Finally… the last team that will be formed… Luca R. Ezperanda, and… Elazul del Fable." Elazul immediately stopped in his tracks. He turned around to face the stage. All eyes were facing him. He took off from his spot, heading towards the stage. As he landed, Luca climbed up on the stage.

"Is this some sort of sick joke?" Elazul questioned the Master as he walked up to him. "I don't need a teammate."

"As a newcomer and the son of the great magician who protected the Kingdom of Namdiascar, Luca is in need of a powerful ally to help cultivate his growth during his time in this guild." The Master explained calmly. "We've already gone through the files, and you're the most experienced guild member here, despite your half-a-year stay here. So, you are the most suitable candidate to help Luca."

"You're telling me that he can't even fend off an attack for himself, right?" Elazul said. "…More reason I don't need a teammate." As he spoke, Luca trotted to him. Elazul turned to face him. "…What?"

Luca smiled. "We're partners? Well, I hope that you'll help me… Ela!" Hearing that cheerful voice and a shortened variation of his name caused Elazul to flinch suddenly, taking a step back. This kid in front of him… his personality… it's all too familiar for him… a memory that he dreaded to return came back to him.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Elazul immediately shouted at Luca. Luca stepped back in shock of the sudden outburst. Elazul breathed in and out slowly as he looked at Luca. 'Stop it… he's not him…' he thought. His thoughts continued to collide harshly as he tried to get familiar feelings out of him.

"Ela…zul?" Luca asked. "Are you alright?"

He could no longer endure it. "…Fine!"

"Huh?" Luca tilted his head.

"You can be my partner!" Elazul said, looking away from Luca. "Just… don't get in my way… alright?" He spoke softly and calmly this time. Luca gasped but gave nods. "Alright, I'll do my best, partner!" The Master looked worried for a moment, fearing things may have gone out of hand, but was relieved that Elazul is getting along with his new partner. Luca turned around to meet the Master's face. "I forgot. Where's the room I'm staying in?" he asked curiously.

"Your room?" The Master looked down at the slips of paper he was still holding on to, looking through the papers until he stopped. "Hmm… Currently, there's some trouble with the assignments of rooms for new guildmates, so… Luca, you will be staying at Elazul's room until there is an available room for you."

Elazul grunted.

Luca smiled and faced his partner. "Don't worry! I'm not going to cause problems!"

"All right… now I'll go through the necessities of being a team…" The Master clears his throat while the teams groan, apparently signalling that they've already heard his speech countless of times. Luca seemed excited, and is the only one excited in the majority of the teams, though.

* * *

"So, this is your room…!" Luca said as he walked into Elazul's room after an approximate thirty minutes of learning about team cooperation in the gathering hall. It was… bluntly put, plain. The paint on the walls were worn out. The window in the room looked like it was never touched at all. It's practically empty, except for a bed and a desk.

"…Yeah." Elazul looked away. He heard a loud sound when Luca placed his belongings beside the desk. Luca turned around. "Tell me more about yourself! I wanna learn more about my partner!" Elazul breathed and was about to answer.

But just as he opened his mouth, he immediately got bombarded with questions. "How old are you? What do you regularly do in the guild? Where do you come from? What kinds of foods do you like? What kind of foods do you hate? What do you use as a weapon?" Luca began the endless supply of questions.

'…Big. Mistake.' He thought as he didn't have a chance to answer the bombardment of questions.

* * *

"Oh… I see…"

Luca nodded after he at least stopped asking to let Elazul answer most of his questions. "So… last question." Luca said. He rubbed his head, thinking what he hadn't asked Elazul yet.

'Don't let it be a hard one…' Elazul thought.

"Do you have a family?" Luca's question caused him to freeze. The memories came flooding back and are replaying mercilessly in him. He found himself unable to utter words. Luca wondered what he had done wrong. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"…Don't ask about my family…" Elazul managed to mutter, but it was barely audible.

"Huh?" Luca asked with a tilt of his head.

"…Just… don't ask about my family…" Elazul said it louder for Luca to hear, nearly choking out the last part. "…Please…" Luca went silent, confused with that sudden behaviour. Though, he felt like he shouldn't probe Elazul any further. "…Okay…" Luca nodded. Elazul looked out of the window. Luca looked at the door. "Umm… I'm going out… so… if you want to find me, I'll be at the library…" Luca told Elazul, hesitantly looking at him before heading out of the room.

'Why is he just like…' Elazul gritted his teeth.

* * *

A week has passed since Luca joined Ad Libitum. During that time, Luca mainly did delivery requests around the guild. Elazul always went out of the guild for his requests. Today was no exception. Elazul took a quick glance at the request he took.

" _Description: Pardon me. I seem to have lost a very important item. It looks like a silver gauntlet._

 _I believe that I might have lost it in Wayward Forest. Please find it for me as soon as possible._

 _Sender: Kite Maxwell from Academia"_

"Hey, what're you looking at?" Luca's voice called out. Elazul didn't even turn around to notice Luca trying to look at the request, considering their height differences. "I'm going out." Elazul said, adjusting his spear. Luca ran ahead, stopping directly in front of him. "Hey, I've got some free time! Can I come along?"

"…No." Elazul told him.

"I want to-" Luca began.

"No."

"Come on!" Luca jumped up and down. "I've barely gone out of the guild! I want to see what else is out there!"

"No. Stay in the guild."

"Alright…" Luca gave a dejected sigh, arms slumped down. He walked away from Elazul, heading to a corridor. Elazul shook his head, finally heading towards the guild's doors, leaving the room. About a while later, through the guild members walking around, Luca's head peeked out from the corridor.

"I have to stop thinking about him and Luca…" Elazul muttered as he walked along the grassy path. He looked around. "…" He stared silently behind him, then turned his head around and continued walking. It didn't take any time for him as he arrived at the forest which would lead to Wayward Forest. Wayward Forest is a vast area of overgrown trees, and with little sunlight that is able to pass through the foliage, many visitors tend to get lost in this mass forest. Elazul tapped his foot before he was about to enter the forest, but he had one minor problem…

"…To hell with this." Elazul shook his head. He turned around. "Hey! What're you doing here?!" He shouted. A voice yelped in surprise and shortly after, something popped out of the bush. Elazul shook his head. "I thought I told you to stay in the guild!" He shouted at Luca.

"Umm…" Luca rubbed the back of his head. "How and when did you know I was following you?"

"…Since I looked back." Elazul told him. "Get back to the guild, now."

"I… don't know how to get back." Luca told him.

"You what?"

"I've always been bad in directions… I actually got lost in the guild plenty of times… I don't even know where we are…"

"…My partner not only cannot fight, but is horrible in directions…" Elazul grumbled. He was doing as much as he could to supress his building rage. "…Ugh, fine! Just stay behind me! Don't get in my way, and most importantly, don't annoy me!" he told Luca.

"Oh…" Luca's head bent down and rose quickly. "…Okay, Ela!"

"I told you not to call me that!"

"O-Okay, Elazul…" Luca's voice dropped as he sighed.

"Hnnrgh…" Elazul began to take stomps while he made sure Luca was behind him at all times.

* * *

"Waaaah!"

Luca stumbled and fell backwards. The serpent that attacked him coiled in front of him and it lunged forward to Luca. The mage immediately shielded his head with his hands. Almost immediately, Elazul stepped in as the serpent went for his neck. He quickly reared his neck back and dodged the serpent's bite. He quickly lunged his spear as a counterattack and hit the serpent dead-on. It writhed on the ground before it stopped moving.

Removing his spear from the slain serpent, he shifted his head slightly to look at Luca. "Are you okay?" Luca nodded hastily. "I-I'm sorry, Elazul…" He said, looking down, and noticed an object lying near Elazul's feet.

"Elazul! You dropped something!" Luca spoke. As Elazul felt his neck, his eyes rose in realization. Luca reached out for the object that fell from Elazul. Taking a closer look, he could discern it to be a locket. 'I wonder what's inside?' Luca thought as his finger was about to reach for the mechanism to open the cover of the locket. Immediately, he felt it being swiped away from his hands. As he looked upwards, his face met with the stern stare that his partner was giving towards him.

"You… didn't look inside it, did you?" Elazul questioned.

"Uh…" Luca said. He didn't get a chance to open the locket, so he didn't know what was inside it. "Nope." He replied.

Elazul closed his eyes and continued heading towards the site of hi–their mission. "Good." He said.

"E-Eh?! W-Wait up! Elazul!" Luca stumbled on his feet and began to try to catch up with Elazul… only to fall again. "Wagh!"

* * *

Since it was getting dark, the two stopped to camp out in the forest. Luca continued to look towards Elazul. He was feeling guilty after what happened a few hours ago. He felt that more guilt was towering above him as Elazul hasn't spoken a word since then. "Umm… Uhh…" Luca scratched the soil with his hand "Elazul?" He looked at the wyvern. "Uh, I'm sorry for trying to look inside your locket without asking for your permission…"

"It's of no consequence." Elazul told him. He opened the flap of his satchel, taking out his locket. Since its' chain was broken from the earlier encounter, he couldn't wear it without it falling. His eyes then focused on the locket.

"Is it something important?" Luca asked nervously. He didn't want to hit buttons on Elazul, especially since he looked really… pissed. "…It's from my family." Elazul told him. He then lifted his head and saw Luca's face was filled with dumbfound. "…What's with that face?" he asked. Luca shook his head in a blur. "It's nothing…" Luca said after he straightened up. "So… err… do you have siblings?"

"Yes. A little brother."

"Oh… Umm… do you write letters to your family?" Luca asked.

"…They're all dead." Elazul answered. Luca's eyes widened. "S-Sorry... for asking a weird question…"

"…Not really." Elazul closed his eyes. "Even now, I'm still thinking… Are they happy? If they are still alive, I'd probably stay by their side. I'd continue working in the village to help support them. I even made a promise to keep my younger brother from harm… But, in the end, I'm the only one left alive… It's pathetic, isn't it?"

"Uh…"

"…By the way…" Elazul spoke. "I've heard that you lost your father." Luca attempted to hide his hurt when that topic was brought, but failed miserably. "Y-Yeah…" Luca mumbled. "They never found his body… The only family I've got is my mom…" Luca hugged his legs together. He made a few rocking movements.

"…" Elazul turned around and rested on the ground. "We've got a day ahead of us. Sleep." He said. "…And just forget about what I told you just now." He shut his eyes and just made a swift fan towards the fire, easily extinguishing the fire with that blow. Luca soon rested his head on the ground, closing his eyes slowly to sleep.

* * *

"How much further is it?" Luca asked as he followed behind Elazul.

"…Not much further." Elazul told him. After leaving the area where they had camped at, both Elazul and Luca were nearing the area where the gauntlet was last seen. Still, even as they tread, Elazul couldn't shake off a feeling that tells him that something might be watching them.

"There it is!" Luca pointed to a silver gauntlet resting on the grass in front of them. He ran towards the gauntlet, bending down to pick it up. It was then Elazul noticed something. There was some sort of silk hanging from some of the trees around them. He immediately looked at Luca.

"Wait!" Elazul immediately rushed towards Luca. Luca rose his head and looked up, and lets out a panicked scream. Elazul grabbed his spear from his back and thrust it above Luca, where a giant moth about twice his size was about to attack the young mage. Luckily, the moth retreated a distance to dodge the spear attack. "Hmph…" He looked down at Luca quickly. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm okay…!" Luca said, getting up quickly. Patting his robes, he turned to Elazul. "What was that, anyway?!"

"It's some sort of insect that lives here. All you have to know is that if you get caught in its' silk, it's the end for you." Elazul told him. Luca shivered as he looked at the moth. "It's that dangerous?" he asked.

"Move!" He shoved Luca away and used his spear to block a physical charge from the giant moth. He quickly thrust his spear at the moth, which it backed off again and avoided that attack. Luca scrambled to his feet once again and stood by at a tree. The fierce physical combat continued, but Luca noticed something. Elazul was slowing down for some reason, and when the moth attacked, he had less time to react and nearly managed to escape some of the blows. "Nrgh…" Elazul noticed it as well. It was powder falling around him. He knew that this moth produces some sort of powder that paralyzes the muscles and it's making him slower. He couldn't avoid all of that powder, especially battling it in close combat.

'I've… got to help him…!' Luca began to raise his palms at the moth. A field with multiple symbols began to form and glow below him. 'Okay… Concentrate… let the magic energy flow naturally… focus all of the power in one point… and release…!' A sphere of water began to form between his palms. "Here I go! Aqua Edge!" The sphere morphed into one disc-like blade and it shot towards the moth as Luca fell backwards after using that spell. The water blade splashed on the moth, drenching it. Elazul noticed that as well. The powder it had been spreading around… is no longer taking effect on him.

"Now's my chance!" Elazul rammed the moth with his wing, staggering it momentarily. And in that short moment, he got under it and shot his feet to knock it in the air. He immediately started to spin his spear, creating a large vacuum that formed a tornado and trapped the moth in the wind. He got up on the ground, disappearing suddenly. "Now, perish!" Amidst the tornado formed, Elazul reappeared from above the tornado, lunging down in the tornado. "Sundering Pierce!" His spear impaled the moth, striking and bringing down to the ground with such force, that the tornado dissipates. After the tornado dissipated, the whole area where the tornado was formed had been levelled significantly. Elazul cracked his neck as he twisted his spear, making sure that the moth didn't live to see another day.

"The request is finally complete…" Elazul withdrew his spear and placed it on his back. He made sure that the gauntlet listed in the job request was fitted in Luca's bag. "Let's go back now." He began to walk towards the pathway that would lead them outside the forest. Luca stood by at the spot where he had been standing at.

"I think he should be happy."

Elazul stopped walking and turned his head to face Luca. "What…?" he asked, but with a surprised voice. Luca rubbed the back of his head. "Your father…" Luca said. "I think he should be happy to see that his son is crazy strong. Fathers usually have this gut feeling of their sons, that's for sure." Luca looked at Elazul, closing his eyes and giving a wide smile. "My Pops may be gone… but if he was still alive, he would definitely be happy of his son, don't you think? Oh yeah, and your brother and mom, too! They would definitely be happy!" Elazul's mouth opened slightly, then as he began to close it, the ends of his mouth slowly curved upwards as he replied with a smile. "…Yeah."

There was no mistaking it: That was DEFINETELY a smile. 'He…He… he smiled…' Luca thought.

"…What's with that face?" Elazul said, his face returning to the 'face that looks like he wants to pick a fight with anyone' look. "N-Nothing!" Luca said.

"…Hmph." Elazul directed Luca to follow him. Luca nodded, staying close to him. Soon, they left Wayward Forest, entering the vast plains outside the forest. Elazul then motioned Luca to get on his back. "Oh…" Luca carefully got on Elazul's back, avoiding the spear's tip. "W-Woah!" Luca exclaimed as Elazul flapped his wings and took off from the ground. "W-Wow!" Luca said as they soared through the skies. "This is… awesome!" With the flight, they easily made it back to the guild. Luca got off Elazul's back carefully.

"Hey, let's return the gauntlet back to its' sender!" Luca said.

"That can wait until tomorrow." Elazul said. "I'm tired."

"Oh, and I want to ask you something." Luca said. "How did you beat that moth after my spell?"

"The powder that the moth gives off. Its effects are negated when the environment is moist. Your Aqua Edge provided enough moisture in the air, and the powder's effects no longer took a toll on me." Elazul explained.

"Oh… I get it… Oh, yeah!" Luca faced Elazul. "I've gotta fix the chain for your locket!" Luca stretched out his hand towards Elazul with a wide smile. "Come on! Hand it over! I promise I won't look inside it!"

Elazul just gave a sterner glare after Luca spoke 'I promise I won't look inside it!'.

"Really! I promise that I really, really, WON'T look inside it!" Luca assured the glaring Elazul while sweat drops formed all over him.

"…Fine." Elazul rummaged through his satchel, took out his locket and passed it to Luca. Luca grinned. "Okay! I promise I'll be done in no time!" With that, he immediately took off to enter the guild, to their room, most probably.

"…What an optimist. You have no idea that you're really annoying…" Elazul muttered, closing his eyes. "But… no matter how much you remind me of… him… You're still…" A small smile began to form on his mouth as he headed inside the guild.

"…a friend."

 **EX Chapter: Remembrance End**

* * *

 **And… the first EX Chapter is done!**

 **It's also probably one of my longest chapters as well, since I had to go through one slightly detailed explanation about the past. And what can I say, I wanted to show the past of two of the characters I like to portray! So, did you like it? Give a review or something if you think so!**

 **Okay, getting to other stuff, after this, marks the next Arc, the Formation Arc, can you guess why is it named like that?**


	25. Chapter 23:The Opened Paths

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc**

 **Chapter 23: The Opened Paths**

"Are you certain about this?"

At a village's entrance where a deep forest has concealed the very existence of the village, an adult Accelgor asked a Ninjask garbed in black with a trailing scarf.

"Yes." The Ninjask replies without turning around.

"Looks like that nothing will change your mind." The Accelgor reveals a sheathed blade from a scroll.

"Take this." He threw the sheathed blade towards the Ninjask. The Ninjask turns around and catches it with both claws. As he turned around, if someone else was there, they could have seen a vertical scar resting on his right eye.

"…." The Ninjask unsheathes the blade slightly to see a well-produced and glistening metallic blade belonging to the katana weapon type, then sheathes it back. "…Thank you, father." He takes out a scroll and wraps it around the katana. The katana enters the scroll in a puff of smoke and vanishes.

The Ninjask places the scroll at his right side near a pouch hanging there. He then looks back in front of him and away from the village, then he disappeared in a blur. The Accelgor sighed after the Ninjask's presence could no longer be detected.

"Good luck, Nin Azura…"

* * *

Somewhere else at the Norm Islands, at a large manor resting at the edge of a city, the sounds of metal clashing could be heard at the back of this large manor. And at that area two Pokémon, a Beartic and a Empoleon, were both swinging swords as each other. The Beartic wore a white long-sleeved shirt with black buttons worn underneath a brown vest with a large collar at the top and a tail at the back. He also had pants coloured in dark green and a set of brown shoes. The Empoleon wore a white short-sleeved coat with two symmetrical tails covering most of a black short-sleeved shirt underneath it. Both top clothing had left his midriff bare. He also wore black pants along with black shoes. As the two backed off after clashing their swords, the Beartic nods.

"Okay, that's enough for today." The Beartic said, sliding his sword in its' sheath. The Empoleon lets out a loud sigh as he does the same. The two headed over to a table that was set near the manor. Taking seats, the two began to drink a cup of warm tea.

"Geez…" The Empoleon grumbled, placing his cup on the table. "I'm tired of this place… I just want to get out of this place…"

The Beartic shook his head. "You know you're not allowed to leave the manor, right? The Duke's just worried for your safety." He said.

The Empoleon reluctantly groans. "So, what's the point in my sword training, then? If I don't use my sword, then everything's just for nothing!"

"You remember who you are, aren't you?" The Beartic asks.

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" The Empoleon rolls his eyes, apparently having heard that question plenty of times. "I'm the only heir of the fal Isberg family, Irvine fal Isberg. I've heard this too many times, Gai."

"Hahah…" Gai chuckles. He looked at Irvine, before noticing his eyes shutting suddenly.

"…Ngh?!" Irvine's flipper shot to his forehead, clutching it slightly as his head suddenly wrecked in pain. Gai nearly pushed his chair away. "Is it one of those headaches again?" Gai asked. Irvine managed a nod. Only after a few seconds, he stopped clutching his forehead. "…It's gone. I wish I knew what are those damn headaches, it's damn annoying…" Irvine grumbled.

"These headaches had been happening since… what, ten years ago?" Gai said.

"I don't know what the hell happened back there, but what I do know is that they aren't the ones responsible for these damn headaches!" Irvine said.

"You're talking about that incident seventeen years ago, aren't you?" Gai said. "That time when–"

"Whitewind! We need a hand to carry these goods!" A voice called out. Gai turned around from the seat. "I'd be there in a moment!" He shouted. He turned back to Irvine. "Sorry, Irvine. Got to go now." He got out of his seat, pushing the chair to the table.

"Yeah, yeah…" Irvine tapped the table. He watched Gai enter the manor's backdoors. After Gai closed the doors, Irvine stared at the doors for a moment. He nodded to himself, standing up from his seat. "…Alright!"

* * *

At the large city of education, Academia, in the Eastern Region, a young Breloom headed over to a house. As he entered the house and placed the stack of books he has been holding, he took a little time to look at the mirror that was set on the wall. It captured his neat attire which consisted of a cream shirt with buttons and light brown trousers. He also had a tie worn neatly around his shirt's collar. He wore leather gloves around his two-claw hands and boots that covered the entire of his legs. He gazed at the room he is in. About everywhere in the room had stacks of books placed neatly at the walls, and one couch which also had stacks of books resting on it. He walked further through the room, opening a door. It led to another room, which was practically the same as the living room. But it was more noticeable to be called a bedroom. Resting on the bed, is a sleeping Ralts. She was dressed in a dress in the colours of purple, pink and violet. Her arms were wrapped around a doll resembling a Banette which was about as big as her.

The Breloom sat on the bed, beside the Ralts. "Are you feeling better?" he asked. The Ralts fidgeted before getting up slowly. "Nmm…? Kite?" The Ralts asked.

The Breloom, or Kite Maxwell, nodded. "So, are you feeling better, Lucille?" he asked once again.

The Ralts, Lucille Ostend, nodded. "Y…Y-Yes…" Lucille spoke softly. "Th-Th-Thank you… f-for helping me…"

Kite smiled. "I'm glad that you're okay now. You can stay at my home for a while. I'll try to find out about your family." He reassured her.

"And Taro." Kite looked at the Banette doll. "Stop eating my books. I've already graduated, but I still need those books so that I can become better in knowledge."

The Banette doll, Taro, didn't respond.

Kite got off from the bed and walked towards the door. He looked at Lucille just as he reached for the door. "Do you want to go out?" he asked.

Lucille didn't say anything, but answered with a small nod.

* * *

"I'm back." A Roserade spoke to the bed. She wore a sleeveless violet minidress. Around her waist, a leather strap was worn around and held a pouch behind her. She also wore long gloves that covered her arms. Adjusting the covers of the bed slightly, she walked to the drawer at the opposite end of the room. She took out a candle and walked over to the bed and placed the candle at the stand beside the bed. The Roserade headed out of the room, and returned with a matchstick. She lit it and hovered it at the candle's wick, slowly igniting it. She blew on the matchstick's fire, extinguishing it. "I'll leave you to sleep a little longer…" She then walked out of the room. But… what's on the bed…

…is a skeleton.

* * *

The only word that could describe this area is 'otherworldly'. White pillars extended towards the ceiling of the room. A giant door in the room opened slowly, and what passed through it is a Froslass. She floated to the center of the room, where light emanated from a glyph on the floor. As she stopped at the center of the room, she spoke. "This world is in danger once again… and I shall go."

The glyph began to glow brighter, releasing particles of light as the light begun to engulf the Froslass and a moment later, she was no longer in the room.

* * *

 **Chapter 23 End**

 **And, thus begins the Formation Arc. We began this arc by introducing several new characters, how will all of them link in the story? Well, let's find out as the story progresses…**


	26. Chapter 24-1: The Reunion(Vanille)

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 24-1: The Reunion**

Limni Village. That was what the signboard outside a village read. The entire village rested on one large lake. It had quite a countryside feel to its' design. The buildings are built with some sort of special timber that can be harvested near the lake, but what most could discern is that the timber is less dense than water, and it'll still float despite having any heavy weight on it. Several spots held water farms built in large boxes of timber, mills and various other fields and structures. Overall, Limni Village is a farming village which produces the best produce known in Niata.

"Huph! Hah! Hyah!"

And elsewhere in an open field, a female Pokémon dashed along the field, holding some sort of metallic bow. She is a Slurpuff. She wore a white top which is beneath a pink vest and she also wore matching shorts. Running while drawing the bow string, she shot several arrows at targets in front of her. One arrow ricocheted on a target, another hit a target at the corner, and one landed precisely at a bulls-eye. "Here I go!" she jumped in front of her, where several other targets are planted in front of her. Suddenly, the edges of the bow closed in an instant together, forming a sword. As she descended, she quickly swung the sword with both hands and sliced the targets swiftly… at least, only about three out of the ten targets were hit.

As the Slurpuff turned around to see the results, she stared silently before nodding happily. She left the open field, passing the forest. As she looked from a ledge, she hopped off and slid down quite nicely. She continued walking until she could see a large village resting on a lake. The Slurpuff happily hums as she headed to a bridge and crossed it. As she entered the village, the villagers, which the majority of them are Water-Types, that saw her, greeted her.

"Hello, Vanille!" One villager said.

"Are you getting accustomed to using your weapon?" Another villager said.

The Slurpuff smiles at them as she answered their questions. Her name is Cloudia Vanille. However, she prefers everyone to call her Vanille. After answering the villagers' questions, she headed into a house. It had quite a refreshing atmosphere. After entering, she saw a Diancle resting on a chair in front of a table. The Diancle wore some sort of brown dress that covered her entire body.

"Princess Arche, I'm back!" Vanille said.

The Diancle turns around, smiling. "It's nice to see you, Vanille. How's training?" Arche said.

Vanille smiles. "Don't worry! I'm completely fine! How's he doing now?"

"The same as every day…" Arche sighs.

"Oh… He hasn't woken up in two months…" Vanille looked down. "So… we'd just have to wait for him to wake up!"

"You're right…" Arche said. "You should visit his room, as usual." Vanille nodded. "Okay!" She walked to a door at the corridor on her right and opened it. The room contained a bed, a desk, a bookshelf and two individuals, both Politoed. One is lying on the bed, and the other is in front of the bed. The female adult Politoed in front of the bed wore a long blue dress. An apron was also worn in front of the dress. She apparently looked at the young Politoed in blue robes lying on the bed in a bit of reluctance.

"This leaves me with only one option…" The adult Politoed said, heading out of the room. Vanille continued to look at Luca, tapping his forehead a few times. He didn't respond. Soon, the adult Politoed returned to the room, with a frying pan on one hand, and a ladle on the other hand.

'A frying pan and a ladle?' Vanille wondered. 'What's she going to do with that?'

"This may be too dangerous for you, so please leave the room for a while." The adult Politoed said, ushering Vanille out of the room, and closing the door after Vanille left the room.

'What's so dangerous about a frying pan and a ladle?' Vanille wondered.

Vanille heard some loud banging from the room, followed by a surprised scream and a loud 'thump' that said that something fell on the ground. Vanille opened the door and entered the room. Luca was now lying on the floor, apparently having fallen from the bed face-first.

"I'm awake… I'm awake…" Luca mumbled while his face was still planted on the floor. "Mom… I wanted five more minutes…" He continued to mumble before stopping. "…Mom?" He looked up quickly from his position and saw the adult Politoed directly in front of him. Luca gasped for a few moments before he suddenly shot up, wrapping his arms around the adult Politoed. "Mom…! Mom! I don't believe it…! You came all the way here…!" Luca made plenty of sobs and sniffles as his eyes tear on her shoulder. Luca received a few pats on his back. He slowly withdrew his head from her shoulder. "Don't worry, Luca… you're alright now…" Luca's mother said soothingly.

"Luca! Are you alright?" Vanille asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Luca said, rubbing his eyes. "I'm oka-huh?" Luca looked at Vanille. "You changed your clothes?" he asked.

Vanille nodded. "Yup!" She twirled around once. "So, what do you think? It's pretty, isn't it?" she said. Luca nodded. "Yeah… it is…" He looked at his right. "…Isn't this my home?!" Luca asked in surprise. "Wait… so then… I'm back at Limni Village?"

"Yeah!" Vanille said. "I've got lots of things to tell you, Luca!"

* * *

"Oh…" Luca adjusted his robes. Vanille had told him about her adventure after he fell into a two-month coma. She had wanted to explore the other parts of the continents during her adventure, so she decided to bring Luca along with her. Eventually, before she left the Kingdom, she found out that his hometown is Limni Village, located at the Southern Isle continent. Princess Arche had offered to help her on her journey, although she didn't actually inform the Kingdom about this. During one of the encounters, Vanille's bow is damaged and could no longer be used. Thus, they stopped by at a town to help find a new weapon for Vanille. Eventually, Vanille settled on using bowswords. Finally, they made it to Limni Village. Vanille and Arche became acquainted with the villagers of Limni Village while they had Luca rest in his home, and are welcome by Luca's mother, Aeris H. Ezperanda.

"Yup, that's all!" Vanille said.

Luca looked at Princess Arche. "So… err… Princess Arche–"

"Just call me Arche." Arche said.

"All right… Arche." Luca said. "Are you really certain that leaving the Kingdom is alright for… you know…?"

"…" Arche didn't say anything.

"Oh… I forgot to ask you! Luca, what happened back at the gardens?" Vanille asked Luca, remembering about the gardens after Luca mentioned the Kingdom of Namdiascar.

Luca didn't say anything as he lowered his head. His mind replayed what had happened before he passed out. Elazul suddenly pointing his weapon at him, and that mysterious armored figure. And Vanille was called… a 'reject'? 'What does that mean…?' Luca thought. 'I'd better not think about this for now…' He turned his head to Vanille. "I… don't know. I suddenly felt exhausted…" Luca said.

"Oh… okay…" Vanille said. For some reason, she felt like he was hiding something. She tapped the table, wondering what she should say next.

"…What should we do?" Luca asked.

Arche faced him. "I've got something to investigate. I've been hearing voices." She said.

"Huh?" Luca and Vanille said.

"I started to hear them about some time after the Demon King had been defeated. It tells me something about an unlocked path of destiny… As I heard the voices… I can confirm that I'm hearing them… from this." Arche took out a small gem. It's coloured in quite a dark brown. "I've been holding on to this Garnet ever since I'm the princess of my kingdom… And I've heard that this is one of the Crystals that was in the lore of the Crystal Bearers… So, I thought that I should investigate in this while I'm outside the Kingdom, to see if there are any other individuals who bear Crystals…"

"You've been hearing voices from your Crystal?" Luca said. "Vanille and I do have those from the lore, but we haven't been hearing any voices…"

"Hmm… needless to say, I have to investigate." Arche told them. "If what those voices say is true, then I can't stand around and do nothing! I have to help!"

"…Oh… I remembered something…" Vanille said. "Luca, do you remember the promise you made to me, right? About helping me find my memories?"

Luca folded his arms and looked down. Soon, he remembered that he promised to help Vanille recover her lost memories. So, that plan is sound for now. "…Yeah, that's right! I did promise to help you find your memories!" He said. "So… if we're going on a journey… Hmm… I mean, we must go on a journey, then." He got up from his seat. "I'm going to talk to my Mom and tell her that I'm going on a journey." He headed to the kitchen, where Aeris was preparing some food for them.

* * *

Later, that night, Luca was looking outside the window in his bedroom. '…So, two months had passed while I was in a coma…' Luca thought. 'I wonder how everyone's doing…?' He got off from his bed, going outside of his room to the corridor. He tapped his foot silently as he started to think.

'Thinking about all of this won't help me to sleep! I've got to talk to someone… But it's late… so I only have time to talk with either Vanille or the Princess…' Luca rubbed his head, coming to a decision.

* * *

 _'Who should I talk to…?'_

 **Vanille.**

Arche.

* * *

Luca's head dropped to a nod. "…I should talk to Vanille." Luca said. He headed over to the room Vanille's staying in and knocked the door. "Vanille?" He called from the door. A short while passed and Vanille's voice answered. "What is it, Luca?"

"If you don't mind, could we go outside for a walk?" Luca asked her.

"A walk? Sounds good to me! Hold on…" Vanille said. A few seconds passed and the door opened. Vanille smiled from behind the door. "This is my first time going out for a walk!" she said.

"Huh? You mean, you never had– Oh, amnesia. I nearly forgot about that…" Luca said.

"Let's go!" Vanille happily skipped out of her room, heading to the front door. Luca soon followed her out of his home. Almost immediately, he regretted going out as the chilly night breeze washed over him. His body immediately shivered, legs knocking at each other. He is wearing his robes, yet, he's still freezing.

"S-So cold…" Luca mumbled. Vanille turned around. "Huh? What is it?" she asked. Luca looked at her. "Don't worry… I-I am fine…" he told her.

"Oh. Okay…" Vanille said. The two continued to walk on the wooden roads, talking about various topics that Vanille has yet to learn, until they stopped by at a port. Luca and Vanille gazed at the lake that is just around the whole village.

"Luca, your hometown is really nice…" Vanille said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! It is nice!" Luca said. "It's not like every day you get to walk on a village floating on a lake, right?"

"Yes! It is new to me!" Vanille said. She looked down. "Luca? Can you tell me why is there another me in the water?" Vanille pointed at the water. Luca looked down. "Oh, that's just your reflection, Vanille." Luca said.

"My reflection?"

"It's like an image of yourself." Luca explained. "You get to see it because light reflects from a reflective surface and it catches the appearance of what's in front of it."

"Oh, I see…" Vanille said. Vanille looked back at her reflection. "Can we have our own reflections come to life?" Vanille asked. Luca started to ponder. "Hmm… you could put it in a way… with a twin sibling… or so… I think that some sort of replication is also possible…"

"Oh." Vanille said. She continued to look at her own reflection for a moment before she turned to face Luca. "Can you tell me what should I do when I recover my memories?"

Luca paused, tapping the port with his foot. "Err…" he mumbled. Currently, he's feeling strange right now. It feels like his head is bouncing all around him. He looked down at the lake. His reflection is looking back at him, but what is noticeable is that it's his face. It… looked different from what he normally looks like.

"Luca, what's wrong?"

When he turned around, Vanille is standing directly in front of him. "W-Whooooaaa!" Luca yelped as he lost his balance and fell backwards from the port, creating a tremendous splash in the lake.

"Ah! A-Are you okay?!" Vanille gasped. Luca emerged from the lake, climbing back up on the port.

"C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-Cu-Cold…" Luca mumbled. He was shivering all over, rapidly rubbing his arms together. He looked at Vanille. "D-D-D-Don't worry… I'm a-a-a-alright…" He told her.

"Oh, okay." Vanille said. Vanille sighed softly as she looked up at the night skies. "I'm going on a journey… What sort of new things will I come across? Will I recover my memories?" Vanille wondered. "I can't wait!"

"W-W-We have to p-p-prepare for t-t-t-tomorrow, right?" Luca said. Vanille gasped. "Oh! That's right! We should get some sleep now!" She spun around happily. "Okay, let's go back!"

"Y-Y-Yeah…" Luca mumbled. They walked back to Luca's home. After entering the house, Vanille happily waved to him as she went into her room. Luca soon went back to his room. He looked outside the window in his room, sighing deeply.

'Elazul… where are you…?' Luca thought.

 **Chapter 24-1 End**

* * *

 **If you're wondering… this chapter has two slightly different scenarios. I'll mark them with numbers to indicate a different scenario that will happen during the story and explain the choice that takes effect on a certain decision.**

 **So, anyway, we've arrived at Limni Village, Luca's hometown. And no sooner than that, he'll be going on a journey again. This version is his talk with Vanille. The next chapter is the same, but with his decision to talk to Princess Arche**


	27. Chapter 24-2: The Reunion(Arche)

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 24-2: The Reunion**

Limni Village. That was what the signboard outside a village read. The entire village rested on one large lake. It had quite a countryside feel to its' design. The buildings are built with some sort of special timber that can be harvested near the lake, but what most could discern is that the timber is less dense than water, and it'll still float despite having any heavy weight on it. Several spots held water farms built in large boxes of timber, mills and various other fields and structures. Overall, Limni Village is a farming village which produces the best produce known in Niata.

"Huph! Hah! Hyah!"

And elsewhere in an open field, a female Pokémon dashed along the field, holding some sort of metallic bow. She is a Slurpuff. She wore a white top which is beneath a pink vest and she also wore matching shorts. Running while drawing the bow string, she shot several arrows at targets in front of her. One arrow ricocheted on a target, another hit a target at the corner, and one landed precisely at a bulls-eye. "Here I go!" she jumped in front of her, where several other targets are planted in front of her. Suddenly, the edges of the bow closed in an instant together, forming a sword. As she descended, she quickly swung the sword with both hands and sliced the targets swiftly… at least, only about three out of the ten targets were hit.

As the Slurpuff turned around to see the results, she stared silently before nodding happily. She left the open field, passing the forest. As she looked from a ledge, she hopped off and slid down quite nicely. She continued walking until she could see a large village resting on a lake. The Slurpuff happily hums as she headed to a bridge and crossed it. As she entered the village, the villagers, which the majority of them are Water-Types, that saw her, greeted her.

"Hello, Vanille!" One villager said.

"Are you getting accustomed to using your weapon?" Another villager said.

The Slurpuff smiles at them as she answered their questions. Her name is Cloudia Vanille. However, she prefers everyone to call her Vanille. After answering the villagers' questions, she headed into a house. It had quite a refreshing atmosphere. After entering, she saw a Diancle resting on a chair in front of a table. The Diancle wore some sort of brown dress that covered her entire body.

"Princess Arche, I'm back!" Vanille said.

The Diancle turns around, smiling. "It's nice to see you, Vanille. How's training?" Arche said.

Vanille smiles. "Don't worry! I'm completely fine! How's he doing now?"

"The same as every day…" Arche sighs.

"Oh… He hasn't woken up in two months…" Vanille looked down. "So… we'd just have to wait for him to wake up!"

"You're right…" Arche said. "You should visit his room, as usual." Vanille nodded. "Okay!" She walked to a door at the corridor on her right and opened it. The room contained a bed, a desk, a bookshelf and two individuals, both Politoed. One is lying on the bed, and the other is in front of the bed. The female adult Politoed in front of the bed wore a long blue dress. An apron was also worn in front of the dress. She apparently looked at the young Politoed in blue robes lying on the bed in a bit of reluctance.

"This leaves me with only one option…" The adult Politoed said, heading out of the room. Vanille continued to look at Luca, tapping his forehead a few times. He didn't respond. Soon, the adult Politoed returned to the room, with a frying pan on one hand, and a ladle on the other hand.

'A frying pan and a ladle?' Vanille wondered. 'What's she going to do with that?'

"This may be too dangerous for you, so please leave the room for a while." The adult Politoed said, ushering Vanille out of the room, and closing the door after Vanille left the room.

'What's so dangerous about a frying pan and a ladle?' Vanille wondered.

Vanille heard some loud banging from the room, followed by a surprised scream and a loud 'thump' that said that something fell on the ground. Vanille opened the door and entered the room. Luca was now lying on the floor, apparently having fallen from the bed face-first.

"I'm awake… I'm awake…" Luca mumbled while his face was still planted on the floor. "Mom… I wanted five more minutes…" He continued to mumble before stopping. "…Mom?" He looked up quickly from his position and saw the adult Politoed directly in front of him. Luca gasped for a few moments before he suddenly shot up, wrapping his arms around the adult Politoed. "Mom…! Mom! I don't believe it…! You came all the way here…!" Luca made plenty of sobs and sniffles as his eyes tear on her shoulder. Luca received a few pats on his back. He slowly withdrew his head from her shoulder. "Don't worry, Luca… you're alright now…" Luca's mother said soothingly.

"Luca! Are you alright?" Vanille asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Luca said, rubbing his eyes. "I'm oka-huh?" Luca looked at Vanille. "You changed your clothes?" he asked.

Vanille nodded. "Yup!" She twirled around once. "So, what do you think? It's pretty, isn't it?" she said. Luca nodded. "Yeah… it is…" He looked at his right. "…Isn't this my home?!" Luca asked in surprise. "Wait… so then… I'm back at Limni Village?"

"Yeah!" Vanille said. "I've got lots of things to tell you, Luca!"

* * *

"Oh…" Luca adjusted his robes. Vanille had told him about her adventure after he fell into a two-month coma. She had wanted to explore the other parts of the continents during her adventure, so she decided to bring Luca along with her. Eventually, before she left the Kingdom, she found out that his hometown is Limni Village, located at the Southern Isle continent. Princess Arche had offered to help her on her journey, although she didn't actually inform the Kingdom about this. During one of the encounters, Vanille's bow is damaged and could no longer be used. Thus, they stopped by at a town to help find a new weapon for Vanille. Eventually, Vanille settled on using bowswords. Finally, they made it to Limni Village. Vanille and Arche became acquainted with the villagers of Limni Village while they had Luca rest in his home, and are welcome by Luca's mother, Aeris H. Ezperanda.

"Yup, that's all!" Vanille said.

Luca looked at Princess Arche. "So… err… Princess Arche–"

"Just call me Arche." Arche said.

"All right… Arche." Luca said. "Are you really certain that leaving the Kingdom is alright for… you know…?"

"…" Arche didn't say anything.

"Oh… I forgot to ask you! Luca, what happened back at the gardens?" Vanille asked Luca, remembering about the gardens after Luca mentioned the Kingdom of Namdiascar.

Luca didn't say anything as he lowered his head. His mind replayed what had happened before he passed out. Elazul suddenly pointing his weapon at him, and that mysterious armored figure. And Vanille was called… a 'reject'? 'What does that mean…?' Luca thought. 'I'd better not think about this for now…' He turned his head to Vanille. "I… don't know. I suddenly felt exhausted…" Luca said.

"Oh… okay…" Vanille said. For some reason, she felt like he was hiding something. She tapped the table, wondering what she should say next.

"…What should we do?" Luca asked.

Arche faced him. "I've got something to investigate. I've been hearing voices." She said.

"Huh?" Luca and Vanille said.

"I started to hear them about some time after the Demon King had been defeated. It tells me something about an unlocked path of destiny… As I heard the voices… I can confirm that I'm hearing them… from this." Arche took out a small gem. It's coloured in quite a dark brown. "I've been holding on to this Garnet ever since I'm the princess of my kingdom… And I've heard that this is one of the Crystals that was in the lore of the Crystal Bearers… So, I thought that I should investigate in this while I'm outside the Kingdom, to see if there are any other individuals who bear Crystals…"

"You've been hearing voices from your Crystal?" Luca said. "Vanille and I do have those from the lore, but we haven't been hearing any voices…"

"Hmm… needless to say, I have to investigate." Arche told them. "If what those voices say is true, then I can't stand around and do nothing! I have to help!"

"…Oh… I remembered something…" Vanille said. "Luca, do you remember the promise you made to me, right? About helping me find my memories?"

Luca folded his arms and looked down. Soon, he remembered that he promised to help Vanille recover her lost memories. So, that plan was sound for now. "…Yeah, that's right! I did promise to help you find your memories!" He said. "So… if we're going on a journey… Hmm… I mean, we must go on a journey, then." He got up from his seat. "I'm going to talk to my Mom and tell her that I'm going on a journey." He headed to the kitchen, where Aeris was preparing some food for them.

* * *

Later, that night, Luca was looking outside the window in his bedroom. '…So, two months had passed while I was in a coma…' Luca thought. 'I wonder how everyone's doing…?' He got off from his bed, going outside of his room to the corridor. He tapped his foot silently as he started to think.

'Thinking about all of this won't help me to sleep! I've got to talk to someone… But it's late… so I only have time to talk with either Vanille or the Princess…' Luca rubbed his head, coming to a decision.

* * *

 _'Who should I talk to…?'_

Vanille.

 **Arche.**

* * *

"…I should talk to the Princess." Luca said. He headed over to the room Arche's staying in and knocked the door. "Uh… Arche?" He called from the door. He still felt unaccustomed in calling her by her name, weirdly. He didn't get a response from the door. Instead, it came from beside him. "Luca?" Arche spoke, floating beside him. His natural reaction is to jump in surprise.

"W-Whoa!" Luca yelped. "P-Princess! I mean, Arche!"

"What is it, Luca?" Arche asked. "I went out of my room for a drink."

"Err… well… I wanted to know whether you're free right now… to go out for a walk…?" Luca stuttered.

"A walk? Hmm… I guess I can go out for a walk." Arche told him.

"R-Right!" Luca said. The two soon headed out of the house. Arche looked around the village in the night. "This village is still as pretty as the previous nights…" Arche said. She turned back, and noticed Luca shivering and rubbing his arms together. "Luca? Are you alright?" She asked.

"D-Don't worry about me, P-P-Princess…" Luca said. "I-I am c-completely fine…"

"If you say so…" Arche said. The two continued to walk on the wooden roads talking about various until they stopped by at a port. Luca and Arche gazed at the lake that is just around the whole village. Arche looked at Luca again. "Luca, if you're cold, then you have to say it." Arche said. Luca turned around. "I-I-I said that I-I-I am f-f-fine." He insisted. Arche sighed.

"Luca, if you keep thinking that you're cold, then you'll feel cold." Arche said. "Try to take your mind off from the cold and think of something else." After hearing her words, Luca soon stopped rubbing his arms together. He stood still for a few seconds until his whole body shivered.

"N-Nope… Not w-w-working…" Luca said. He resumed rubbing his arms together again.

Arche sighed again. "Hmm… I guess it couldn't be helped, I suppose. It is cold tonight…" she said. She turned her head to face Luca. "Luca."

"Y-Yeah?" Luca said.

"You have to learn to tell everyone about your problems." Arche told him. "If you hide your problems from everyone, they'll worry about you and they can't do anything to help if you don't let them know about your problems. That's probably one of the reasons you've drawn plenty of attention. At least, that's what I've heard about you."

"I… have to reveal my problems…?" Luca said. "…Thank you, Pr… Arche. I'll make sure I remember that advice."

Arche smiled. "Don't worry. You still have a lot to learn about your life." She said. "Now… It's getting late."

"Oh… We have to prepare for tomorrow, right?" Luca said. Arche nodded. They headed back to Luca's home. After entering the house, Arche thanked him for going out with her before she went into her room. Luca soon went back to his room. He looked outside the window in his room, sighing deeply.

'Elazul… where are you…?'

 **Chapter 24-2 End**

* * *

 **And this is the second version where Luca talks to Princess Arche instead. So, what will the next chapter reveal? What will they do on their journey together?**


	28. Chapter 25:Midnight Moon

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Elazul Side**

 **Chapter 25: Midnight Moon**

At that very same night, somewhere quite far from the Southern Isle region, a large figure soared through the night skies. It descended slowly towards the ground and lands with ease. As it slowly walked forward, it happened to walk directly under where moonlight showed. The figure is a large bat-like Pokémon with enormous ears. A mane of white fur sprouted from its' neck. The figure also had one black long tail with two jagged spikes at the end. The tail had a teal colour at the bottom. The large wings it used for flight is mostly black, at the ends it's a dusky purple and directly in front is teal, and has three maroon claws just at the spot where the black and purple separated. Overall, this figure is a Noivern. The Noivern wore a sleeveless gray shirt which left the pecs that are mainly noticeable from Noiverns exposed. He wore black trousers as well, which left a hole behind to free his tail. Around him, he wore a leather strap behind a tattered leather mantle, which held a pole weapon with a pointed head known as a spear.

The male Noivern kept on walking until he stopped by near a tree and several bushes. He stared silently at the bark, tapping it once. He turned away, about to take a step. He stopped. "…Who's there?" He said. Several bushes nearby rattled and hard-looking individuals began to surround the Noivern. "Heh heh. You don't wanna get hurt, you'd better do exactly as we say…" one of the bandits said menacingly.

The Noivern looked at the bandit that spoke with uninterested eyes. He isn't even fazed by the sheer number of bandits that surrounded him. "…Hmph. None of you will prove to be a challenge." He said.

"I don't like the look on your face, pal. You wanna do this the hard way? Happy to oblige." The bandit said.

"…Hmph. Fine with me." The Noivern simply reached for his spear.

* * *

"Wh-What the hell is with this guy…?!"

One of the bandits covered in significant wounds demanded before he collapsed on the ground. "Like I said; none of you proved to be a challenge." The Noivern said, throwing away a bandit he was holding at a direction. Shaking his head, he left the defeated bandits where they were. Eventually, he arrived at a spring. The water that came from underground formed a lake which clearly reflected what was above the lake. The Noivern stared at the reflection of the moon in the sky, and slowly bent his head to look at the moon itself. Every time he looked at the moon… it always brought back memories of that night…

* * *

 _Elazul del Fable stood all alone at the gardens in the Kingdom of Namdiascar. Even after Dhaos's death, there was still some things left unexplained for him. He had always thought that once the source is gone, then the produced effect would stop appearing as well. However, his wing has always been jolting in pain every few minutes. Elazul bent his left wing slightly so that he could see it at eyeshot. He flicked it slightly, and black mist began to emanate from that wing._

' _Dhaos is dead…' He thought. 'But why…? Why do I still feel a need to do something…?' He stared at his wing for a few seconds before he looked at a tree in front of him. He flicked his wing again, and the black mist leaving his wing dissipated. "…Who's there?" He asked coldly._

" _Impressive… You noticed my presence immediately…" A voice spoke from behind the tree. The figure slowly steps away from the tree, revealing it to be an armoured figure that wore a helmet, making it impossible to tell its' species from first glance._

"… _And who are you supposed to be?"_

" _You… You no longer exert that vengeful presence…" The figure said. "So, I presume that the Hybrid has ended the Demon King's life?"_

' _It called me 'Hybrid'?' Elazul said mentally. 'Wait… back then… Dhaos also called me that…' He shook his head. "Hybrid? What are you talking about?" he said._

" _You still don't realize your potential, don't you?" The figure waves its' hands. "As of now, you're the only known Dragon-Type Pokémon that still lives. And I know that Dragon-Type Pokémon have a lot of hidden potential that lies dormant in them."_

" _Shut up, or I'll kill you right now." Elazul said. His claw neared his spear. "Don't act like you know everything about me…"_

"… _You think you can do that, Elazul?" The figure asks, as if in a casual tone._

" _How did you know my name…?" He snarled._

 _The figure ignores his question and continues to speak. Its' hands began to reach out for the helmet concealing its' head. "Especially if you see this?" A few snaps were heard, and the figure slowly pushes its' hands up, removing its' helmet and revealing its' face for Elazul to see._

 _Elazul's eyes widened. "You're…!" His voice clearly expressed his shock and surprise. The figure says nothing and places its' helmet back in place over its' head. "I thought as much." The figure says. "There's danger threatening this world: One that's much worse than the Demon King. You're going to head to a certain place. It'll tell you all the answers you need."_

"… _Why should I still listen to you?" Elazul asks._

" _You don't have to if you don't believe me." The figure said, turning away from him. "The only thing you'll need to do is to trust your instincts. Your part-Shadow self will bring you to that place." Elazul stared at the figure silently. He doesn't know, especially when he knows who the figure is, whether to listen to it or not. His ears detected sound. It's footsteps. The figure turned around. "Looks like they're here." The figure said. "It's all up to you. Do you want to go alone, or endanger your 'friends'' lives on this journey?" The figure slowly heads back to hide behind the tree it appeared from._

" _Elazul!" There is no mistaking it. That's Luca. It took only about three seconds for him to make his decision. Without turning around, he said. "…Don't follow me." He couldn't dare to look back, but he knew that Luca was slowly approaching him. He had to do something to make sure Luca didn't follow him, and he knew what he had to do._

" _Huh? What do you mean–" Luca's voice said. Immediately, Elazul's wing grabbed the pole of his spear and immediately pointed it behind him. The sudden scream that followed confirmed that he nearly took Luca's life had he pushed the spear further back. "I said… don't follow me." Elazul said. "Whatever you do, just head back to the guild and don't try to find me…" He lifted his spear slowly away from Luca's neck. And he took off from the ground. He never looked back… he didn't want to see the hurt face of his friend… He never wanted this to happen…_

* * *

"Well, I didn't expect to see you here."

Elazul didn't turn around to see the source of the voice. He could clearly tell who it is. "…Dark Wings leader, right?" He just said. He heard something landing on the earthen ground, walking towards him. "But… now you're here… and we can finally get to business… or not." The Weavile known as Mellissa walked towards the spring. A small metal bucket is held by her paws. She knelt in front of the spring and dipped the bucket in the spring. Elazul obviously knew that asking what she is doing is a stupid question, but he asked anyway.

"…What're you doing?" Elazul asked.

"As you can see, I'm collecting some water." Mellissa replied. She chuckled softly. "I thought that someone like you wouldn't ask unnecessary things." Elazul looked away. "Hmph." Mellissa looked around him, while carrying the bucket. "Hm, and I don't see the little mage with you…" Mellissa said. "Looks like what the armoured figure said is true…" Elazul froze.

"Armoured figure?" he said.

"Yes. This figure, if I remember correctly, is the one you met two months ago." Mellissa said. "It personally asked us to assist you."

Elazul didn't say anything.

"It told us that you are in some sort of chains of fate or whatsoever, but it seems important. I like helping with important stuff, heh." She chuckles once again.

"…So, what's your price?"

"Hmm?" Mellissa turned her head.

"…You look reliable." Elazul said. "And judging by thieves, you wouldn't offer your services without a catch, wouldn't you? What do I have to do?" Mellissa scratched her chin, as if in a thoughtful stance. "Hmm… what do you have to do…? Hm… heheh… What you have to do… is to keep on going."

"…Keep on going?"

"That's what I said. Keep on going. Explore all you want to get to that designated place you have to go to." Mellissa explained. "The Dark Wings will provide support and aid you in whatever means necessary."

"…Is that all? How can I be certain that sinister thieves like you will keep to your bargain?" Elazul questioned.

"You don't trust anyone, do you?" Mellissa said. Elazul didn't say anything. "Honestly, from what I know as a noble thief… There is no good and evil. There are those with power… and those that are unfortunate. That commander in Namdiascar is twisting the laws of life… I hate that… I hate him…" Mellissa muttered, mostly in disgust. "Those power-hungry fools… they've abandoned those powerless victims… those victims must be helped…"

She looked over once again at Elazul. "You know…"

"…What?"

"…You're completely different from the last time we met." Mellissa said. "Like, for instance… you're able to make a conversation with me without short answers."

"…. Shut up." Elazul turned his head away. Mellissa giggled. "Well… then, looks like the deal is made." She tossed something over to him. Elazul catches it easily without turning around. Looking closely, it's some sort of earpiece. "…And this is…?" He asked, turning his head slightly.

"How we'll communicate from now on." Mellissa winked towards him. "Just give us a call, and we'll answer your needs."

"…I'll think about it." Elazul replied.

"Hm…" Mellissa walked away from him, leaving to do her own things. Elazul stared silently at the earpiece that the Dark Wings leader gave him. 'So… I'll call for them if I need help?' He thought. '…Fine. I don't even know how to get to that place. So… I'll just make do with what I have…' Noticing a clip attached at the earpiece, he fitted the earpiece on his collar. He left the spring and continued to head forward.

Eventually, he arrived at a clearing. He could feel a gentle breeze blowing at him… and an ominous feeling too familiar with him. "…Shadows…" Elazul reached out for his spear. "…Come out and face me!" He gave out a roar as black figures shot up around him from the ground. He took a quick look at the enemies around him. 'Thirteen…' He pulled his spear out and immediately turned to impale one Shadow. He turned around again and swung the impaled Shadow off his spear, throwing it at several other Shadows, where it dispersed into black mist. He immediately stepped back, dodging a slash from a Shadow. As he backed off, he released a Dragon Pulse at the Shadow, knocking it away. The Shadows once again surrounded him and charged at him.

"Moonlight Circle!" Elazul spun his spear counter-clockwise, creating an image of the moon below him and hit the surrounding Shadows. "The end! Reverse Moon!" Just as Elazul has formed the image of the moon, he suddenly spun in the opposite direction. His spear, wreathed in dark energy, caused the image to shatter in a blast of darkness and blew all the Shadows caught in the initial attack away. Three Shadows dispersed into black mist. He immediately advanced to three Shadows that were staggered from the previous attack. He swung his spear up, knocking all three into the air. "You won't get away!" He soared up and momentarily vanished. Three sudden slashes struck the airborne Shadows, creating a surrounding gale. "Dragon Glare!" Elazul suddenly reappeared above the Shadows and impaled them as he descended, dissipating the gale. He turned around to meet the remaining six Shadows. He suddenly felt a violent throb in his left wing.

"Ggh?!" He dropped his spear, shifting his right wing to clutch his left. 'Now…?!' he thought. He could feel the immense power rushing through his veins. That power he dreaded to use unless it is an emergency. The black mist has already begun to surround him. Once again, the remaining Shadows charged at him with claws or blades. Elazul noticed the attacks and quickly moved back and evaded the attacks. When he landed after the last successful dodge, the left side of his body is already covered in pitch-black. He glared at the Shadows, pointing his left wing at them.

For a moment, the environment is a clearing. Now, it is a pitch-black world. The six Shadows looked around, obviously lost in this new environment. Suddenly, one of them dispersed into black mist. Immediately after that, another Shadow suddenly received a slash. "Nightmare Gale!" Elazul's voice roared. The Shadows felt something stab directly in the center, before they felt sudden currents of wind slashing them. The previously attacked Shadow along with another Shadow soon dispersed into black mist. "Bleak Harvest!" The remaining three Shadows were suddenly caught in a shockwave and it threw them into the air. Then, the Shadows were suddenly assaulted with multiple slashes around them. One image that is formed amidst the assault is a large purple-flaming scythe that is swung at them. All remaining Shadows were nothing more than black mist.

The surrounding area turned back to the clearing from the beginning of the battle. Elazul heaved and wheezed, his grip on his left wing tightening as the colour returned to his body. 'I'll never get used to this…' He thought, feeling exhausted. He remained on the spot for quite some time before he steadily stood up. He reached down for his spear, grabbing it.

"Kusu?"

And in a moment, he turned around, swinging the spear to the source of the voice. The source is a small little robin, a Fletchling. The robin lets out a cry of shock as the spear's head was just in front of it, but it didn't fly off. Elazul stared at the Fletchling. "…Just a Fletchling." He said, drawing his spear and sliding it on the leather strap on his back. He began to walk away from the Fletchling.

"…Kusu?" The small robin trotted slowly towards the intimidating figure looming in front of it.

"…" Elazul slowly turned his head to face the small Fletchling directly behind him. He raised his wing slowly. His head motioned away from the bird. The Fletchling understood him, chirping as it took off from the floor, perching itself on Elazul's wing. "Kusu! Kusu!" Elazul couldn't help, but manage a small smile at the bird. He walked forward, calmly. After a while, he turned his head to look at the Fletchling.

"…Fenikkusu." Elazul spoke.

"…Kusu?" The robin cocked its head.

"That's your name. Fenikkusu." Elazul told it. The robin, or Fenikkusu, chirped happily, accepting its' new name.

"Kusu! Kukukusu!" Fenikkusu chirped.

"Heh. Let's get going, then." Elazul walked on the dirt path. The night wind silently blew at him. What awaits him from now on, he doesn't know. But, what he knows, that he'll reach the end of the path, where his objective lies.

 **Chapter 25 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Wanderer**

 **Weapon: Shell Splitter (Spears)**

 **And here we are, back with another chapter! You probably guessed why the previous Formation Arc chapter is marked with "Luca Side", didn't you? Well, here's your answer! I'll move from "Luca Side" to "Elazul Side", showing their own parts of the journey that lies in front of them… Next chapter will move back to "Luca Side", I promise!**

 **And here's the ol' skits!**

 **Skit: Fennikusu**

 **Elazul: "Hm…"**

 **Fennikusu: (curious) "Kusu?"**

 **Elazul: (surprised) "Oh? It's been some time since I talked to someone…"**

 **Fennikusu: "Kusu…?"**

 **Elazul: "…..." (looks down) "…And I'm having a conversation with a bird that only knows to chirp 'kusu'…"**

 **Fennikusu: (happy) "Kusu!"**

 **Elazul: (thinking) 'But… the feathers… they're…'**

 **Fennikusu: (curious) "Kusu?"**

 **Elazul: (blushing) "F…Fluffy…"**

* * *

 **And that's all! Read and Review please! Oh, and before I forget, I should introduce you to "A Dragon's Tail", written by Dragon of Vale. It has a lot of inspiration from various sources. I usually help out with error corrections, though.**


	29. Chapter 26:A Mage's Worst Fear

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 26: A Mage's Worst Fear**

"Luca… Are you awake?" Aeris asked as she knocked on the door of her son's room.

Luca finished putting on his robes. "Huh? Oh, yeah, mom!" He called out from his room.

"Vanille and Arche are already waiting for you outside. You're the last one up." Aeris said. Luca nodded. "All right! I'm coming!" he called out, grabbing his hat and staff, taking them along with him as he left his room. At the dining room, Luca found breakfast prepared by his mother who is at the table. "Breakfast is ready, Luca. I hope you like it." Aeris said.

"All right!" Luca said happily before he indulged on the food laid in front of him. Aeris looked at her son's cheerful face as he ate.

"Luca…" Aeris said.

"Mmrph? (Hm?)" Luca said through his full mouth.

"I'm so glad I got to see you again… for twelve years…" Aeris's head began to tilt down. She looked like she was supressing the urge to cry. "Even when you regularly sent letters to me… I…"

Luca gulped the food down his throat. "M-Mom!" Luca said. "Erm… I know that it has been a really long time since I went out of home along with… Pops…" He spoke softly before suddenly shutting his mouth. He didn't want to talk about his father and his mom's husband, but somehow, that topic escaped through his mouth. He hung his head down. "E-Erm… I mean, I… err…"

Luca felt something tap his head. He looked up to see Aeris's hand on his head. Aeris got up from her seat and walked around the table until she stood beside her only son. Then, she wrapped her arms around him. "Luca…" Aeris said as Luca returned the hug. "Promise me that you'll keep in touch with me…"

"Don't worry, Mom…" Luca said. "I'm going to keep telling you about my journey…" They slowly released each other from the hold. Luca grabbed his hat from the table and fitted it on his head. With a few twists and turns, he gave a determined smile. "It's a promise!" Standing up from his chair, he waved goodbye as he headed out of the house. Aeris waved to her son as well before he passed by the open door. She turned her head to the empty plate left by Luca. She sighed softly.

"He's here!" Vanille pointed at Luca upon seeing him leave the house. Luca hurried over to the ladies. "Vanille, Arche!" He said. "Are you all ready?"

Vanille nodded. "Yup, I'm ready for the journey!" she replied. Luca nodded. "And… Arche?" he turned to Arche, noticing that she wore a white noblewoman's coat over her dress. Arche nodded. "We're all ready. So… where should we go?"

"I've been thinking… Maybe we can stop by at Academia." Luca said.

"Huh? What's an Academia?" Vanille asked.

"Academia, the city of education?" Arche said. Luca nodded.

"I've been thinking… if we want to know more about the crystals, maybe we could head over to the city of education to learn more about them!" Luca said. "It's located at the Eastern Region. So, it'll take a while to get there. But if we manage to take a ride on the train, I think we'll make it to Academia much quicker."

"You have a point…" Arche said. She nodded her head. "Alright. We shall first head to Academia."

"How do we get to Academia?" Vanille asked.

"We can head over to the city called Mare. It's located near the coast further from Limni Village. There's a train station there. We can take it to head to Academia." Luca said.

"So, do you know how to get there?" Vanille asked.

"I'm horrible at directions…" Luca informed Vanille. "So, maybe Arche could lead the way?"

Arche pointed to herself. "Me? Well… I suppose it'll be fine. I know quite a lot about Southern Isle's layout. So, yes, I'll definitely be able to bring everyone there."

Luca placed his hands on his hips, nodding. "Okay… let's go!" The trio began to head out of Limni Village. As they headed towards the exit, the villagers waved their goodbyes to them. Luca, Arche and Vanille responded with waves as well. Soon, they left Limni Village, stepping on the cool grass on the land.

Vanille looked back at Limni Village. "They're really kind…" Vanille said happily. She smiled as she turned her head to Luca. "Right, Luca?"

For some reason, Luca appeared to be startled when she faced him. "H-Huh?" Luca said in a blur before responding nervously. "Oh, y-yeah, you're right!"

Vanille tilted her head. "Luca, are you alright? The coma didn't do anything to you, did it?"

"I'm alright! I-I'm alright!" Luca insisted.

Arche stopped moving, spreading out a hand to motion them to stop walking. "Huh?" Luca turned his head to Arche. "Arche?" Arche looked around their surroundings. "I feel some sort of malevolent aura…" She said. Then, after she finished speaking, three black figures emerged from the shadows around them.

"SH-SHADOWS?!" Luca exclaimed in shock. "I thought they aren't supposed to be here!"

"Huh? The Shadows are still here?" Vanille said.

"This is bad…" Arche muttered as everyone prepared their weapons. Arche took out a short metallic sword and held it on one hand, and the other hand occupied a metallic shield. Vanille grabbed her bowsword behind her waist, pulling it out. She held the bowsword's handle with both hands. Luca grabbed his staff hanging from behind his back. "Nonetheless, we have to battle these Shadows before they run amok and threaten lives…" Arche swung her sword and slashed an avian-like Shadow.

"Whoa!" Vanille dodged a charge from a humanoid-like Shadow. She swung her bowsword at the Shadow and slashed it. She stabbed her bowsword in the ground. "Here I go! Sky Lotus!" She lifted herself off from the ground and kicked the enemy three times. She quickly pulled out her bowsword and swung it down at the Shadow, slicing it in half.

"Voice of earth… heed my call! Rock Lance!" Arche chanted a spell, creating a magical circle behind her. The circle released several spears of gravel that pierced through her targeted Shadow which dispersed into black mist.

Luca faced a beast-like Shadow that is looking at him. "I got this! Aqua Edge!" Luca shouted.

Nothing happened.

'…Huh?' Luca blinked. He looked at his staff. "Let's try this again… Aqua Edge!" Luca announced.

Nothing happened.

"Erm…" Luca scratched his head. "…Ice Tornado!"

Nothing happened.

"Wave full of wisdom, swallow the misfortune done by the ravages of war! Tidal Wave!"

Nothing happened again.

"…Tidal Wave! Tidal Wave! TidalWaveTidalWaveTidalWave!" Luca shouted.

Still nothing happened.

'Wh-What's happening?!' Luca thought. 'Why aren't any of my spells working?!' He looked up just to see the beast-like Shadow lunging towards him. "WAAAAH!" Luca screamed, falling back.

"Luca!" Vanille and Arche dashed towards the Shadow, swinging their swords down at it. The Shadow howls and melts into black mist. Vanille and Arche quickly headed over to Luca's side. "Luca, what's wrong?" Vanille asked. "Why didn't you cast a spell?" Luca was silent, then he slowly pointed his staff upwards. "Aqua Edge…" he said.

Nothing happened at all. Luca can confirm it right now. "I… I… I can't… I can't cast my spells!" Luca stammered.

"You can't… cast your spells?" Vanille said. "That's… bad, right?"

"Y-Yes! I don't know what's wrong! I tried to cast different spells, but none of them works!"

"Hmm…" Arche studied Luca. She pressed her hand on her forehead. "This phenomenon…"

"Huh? Do you know something about this, Arche? Tell me, quick!" Luca asked in a desperate voice.

"I can't confirm this…" Arche said. "But… maybe once we reach Academia, I'll try to look in your condition again…"

"Uh…" Luca looked down.

* * *

It has been silent after the encounter with those Shadows. Luca had tried several times to cast his spells, but none of them had taken effect even when there are no battles involved. Vanille and Arche were both looking at Luca with worry.

"I hope Luca'll be okay…" Vanille said.

"I don't know…" Arche muttered.

"Take a deep breath, it's time to say goodbye…"

"Huh?" Luca noticed the voice. It sounded really mature and had a sense of formality. Music also played while the voice sang. It's not far from their location. Luca somehow felt that he needed to follow the music. In no less than a minute, the trio found themselves drawn to the music. Eventually, they found the singer to be a Serperior resting on a boulder. The Serperior wore a long green fabric covering most of his serpentine body. He also had a green triangular-like hat… similar to the one that the companion Arturo wore.

"This may be the end, but it's okay, I'll be alright." The Serperior sings. His vines strummed the instrument lying on him rhythmically as he sang each word. "Sad nevermore, baby I'm sure, it's for the better, don't cry…" He stopped for a moment and was about to continue singing until he noticed Luca, Vanille and Arche. "Oh!" He was surprised. "I would never have thought that I would see you again."

"Huh…?" Vanille looked at the Serperior in confusion. "Who are you?"

Luca was about to ask the same question until he took note of the instrument the Serperior played and his appearance. "Is that you, Arturo?" He asked. The Serperior smiled.

"Yes, Luca. Whatever are you doing here?" Arturo Carpaice, the poet from Blood Forest asked.

"We're heading to Academia." Luca said. "What brings you out here, Arturo?"

"I am travelling." Arturo answered. "And…" A vine stuck out from his collar, taking his hat off as he bowed his head down to the princess of Namdiascar. "It is an honor to meet you once again, Princess Arche." He looked at Vanille. "Oh, and Vanille too."

"But I'm surprised, Arturo…" Luca said, looking at Arturo. "You changed a lot…"

Arturo places his hat back on his head. "Oh, you think so? I am quite happy to have this new form…" He said, looking at himself. "I find it easy to move around now…"

"I see…" Luca nodded. Then, Arturo looked like he wanted to ask Luca something. "Luca…" Arturo was about to continue before he shook his head. "…Never mind. It is unnecessary…"

Then, they heard a growl coming from Luca. He rubbed his tummy. "I'm hungry…" he said. "Why don't we stop here to eat?"

Arche looked at everyone else before nodding. "…Alright. Let's stop here to eat."

* * *

A pot filled with soup rested in the center of four Pokémon sitting on the grassy field. The Diancle in the group passed the last bowl to the Serperior, the Politoed and Slurpuff already given bowls filled with soup.

"Now, eat up." Arche said, taking her bowl. Everyone began to drink the soup.

"This potato soup is delicious!" Vanille said.

"I'm not used to drinking cold soup, but it's delicious!" Luca said, sipping the potato soup.

"Thank you for your comments," Arche said before shaking her head. "but this is not potato soup. It's called vichyssoise." She told Luca.

"Arche, what would you call a soup made from carrots?" Luca asked.

"I would call it carrot soup, of course–"

"Then, this is potato soup!" Vanille said before she happily gulped down the soup.

"N-No! It's called vichyssoise!" Arche insisted. "It's the name of the dish!"

"Arturo, what do you call this soup?" Luca asked Arturo. Arturo looked at the soup for a moment before giving his answer. "Potato soup."

Arche shook her head, sighing. "Why won't any of you call it vichyssoise…?"

* * *

"Wow… I'm stuffed…" Luca said.

Arturo nodded. "I could not agree more. The food prepared by the princess is scrumptious." He said. He looked over to where Vanille and Arche are sitting separately from them. It looks like Arche is teaching Vanille something, but they couldn't hear the conversation from where they rested.

Arturo turned to look at Luca. "Luca, do you mind if I tell you something?"

Luca tilted his head. "Huh? What do you want to tell me?"

"Hmm… It's about…"

As Arturo spoke with Luca, at the females' side, Vanille looked surprised. "Oh! So, that means…" Vanille said. Arche looked down, not saying anything. Vanille looked down. "Oh… It is bad…"

Arche slowly floated up. "Well, let's go." She turned to the males, who were apparently discussing something. "Luca, Arturo!" Arche called out. "We're heading off now!" Luca and Arturo's heads rose. They looked at each other and nodded before Luca got up and Arturo slithered over to Arche and Vanille.

"Alright. So, I will be accompanying you to Academia." Arturo said.

"Yes." Arche said. "Now, let us head off to Mare first."

"H-Hold on…" Luca said. He turned his head to Arche. "It's not that I'm worried about Arche, but she needs to try to blend in like a casual tourist or something."

"A casual tourist?" Arche asked.

"I mean, yeah." Luca said. "I don't think that Southern Isle's inhabitants would recognize you as the princess of Namdiascar, but you should play it safe and talk casually."

"I shall try." Arche said.

Luca shook his head. "You're answering wrongly. Try again."

"…Okay. I understand." Arche said.

"Try again." Luca repeated.

"…Okay."

This time, Luca nodded. "Alright! I think that we are now good to go!" Arche soon lead the party towards the route to Mare. Unbeknownst to them, they failed to notice someone watching them from afar. A black-clothed stranger stood by behind a tree. He looked at the travelling group.

"I've finally found her."

 **Chapter 26 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Sealed Child (What could have happened for this child to be unable to use magic…?)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff+1 (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille – Upbeat Girl (Hmm... I am really good at a lot of things!(According to her))**

 **Weapon: Custom Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Gladius (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Now… after a long while… I've finally updated this story!**

 **Luca… can't use his spells? What could have happened…? Hmm… at least, they've met Arturo Carpaice. With him, Luca, Vanille and Arche are now heading to Mare… What were the things that were discussed with both male and female parties separately? And… who's that figure?**

 **Points for anyone to be able to recognize the song that Arturo was singing.**

 **Skit: That song…**

 **Arturo: "Luca, what is it?"**

 **Luca: "I was just wondering… What's that thing you sang?"**

 **Arturo: "Oh? You mean my song? It is just a work in progress."**

 **Luca: "I guessed so…"**

 **Arturo: "But of course, this does not mean that I have given up. I will make sure that this song is complete."**

 **Luca: (happy) "Okay… good luck!"**

 **(Arturo leaves)**

 **Luca: "…"**

 **Luca: (depressed) "*sigh*…"**


	30. Chapter 27:Growing Group

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 27: Growing Group**

"Again…"

"Hold on! What happened?"

"Oh, Miss… err, Cress! You should take a look!"

"Huh? What is the problem?"

"…"

"I see…"

"What are you going to do?"

"What will I do? It's obvious…"

"Here it is, Mare." Arche said, pointing at the city near the seaside in front of them. It had taken about two days of travel, but now the party has finally reached Mare.

Mare, or commonly called The City by the Seaside, is filled with many canals and bridges, wood and stone alike. Ships set off and docked by at the ports every minute. It is quite the bustling naval city. Although it is a naval city, Mare had access to the train system and is one of the few places where the trains run on submerged tracks.

"There's a lighthouse!" Vanille exclaimed in excitement.

"You look excited to see a lighthouse, Vanille." Arturo said.

"Mhm." Vanille nodded. "Luca told me about lighthouses! He said that they signal ships when it gets dark. Let's see… one… two… three…"

Arturo turned to look at Luca. "You've been teaching Vanille plenty of things, haven't you?"

"W-Wait… it's not such a big deal…" Luca said.

Arche soon started to part from the party, heading off towards a caravan.

"Where's she going?" Vanille asked as they followed Arche to the caravan. Arche is now looking through a book. The peddler, a Kecleon, stood idly as Arche read. He soon notices the trio heading to his caravan. "Welcome. I've some goods in store today." The Kecleon said quite impassively.

"Huh…?" Vanille began to ponder. "Didn't we see him before…? Oh! At the festival!"

"The festival?" The peddler said, looking at Vanille. "…I don't recognize you at all. You must be referring to one of my twenty-five brothers."

"You have that many brothers?" Luca said, quite astounded with that sheer number of siblings the peddler has.

"Yes. Take a look." The peddler walks to behind his caravan and took out a book. He flipped through a page and showed the book to Vanille. "There're a lot of you…" Vanille said, looking at the twenty-six identical Kecleon in an image… with the same impassive face.

"What's this?" Arche said, looking through sheets of paper. The peddler headed over to Arche, letting Vanille hold the book he showed to her. "That is one of the few pieces of junk that I collected. I'm not sure what the letters in these documents mean."

"Crystallizer…" Arche said. Her eyes moved left and right as she spoke. "The Crystallizer is a very important asset for the Crystal Bearers. He or she has the power to talk to all of the Crystals, which the other Crystal Bearers are unable to. Other than that, the Crystallizer is able to fuse a Crystal into himself or herself to produce a powerful hybrid-like form. This form grants the Crystallizer hidden techniques indicative of the element the Crystal represents and gain skills unique to the fusion…"

"My, this young lady knows how to decipher…" The peddler said, impressed despite his impassive face.

Arche turned her head to answer the peddler. "Of course, I've learned this from—home". She could had continued to say 'from the castle' had she not noticed Luca and changed her words.

"Hmm… You can have them if you want to." The peddler said. "I don't need those documents. Don't worry. It'll be free of charge."

"Oh, thank you very much." Arche said.

"I hope we get to meet a Crystallizer…" Vanille said, looking excited as Arche held the documents.

"Okay, then…" Luca looked at the goods the peddler had presented and stared at a set of Apple Gels.

"You have to pay for that, though." The peddler said.

"Oh…"

"That should be enough for now…" Luca said, arranging all the items in the bag. He looked over to Arche. "Lead the way, Arche!" Arche nodded. "Alright. Let's go to the station." She, Luca and Arturo began to head to the train station. Vanille stared at the sky for a while, not noticing the others heading off to the station. The peddler looked over at Vanille. "Hey. Your friends are leaving." The peddler said.

"…Oh!" Vanille realized that she was daydreaming. "There they are! I got to catch up with them!" Vanille started to dash towards the group.

"Could I ask a tiny favor?" The peddler said. Vanille immediately made a U-turn and returned to the peddler. "A favor?"

"Peddlers like my brothers are travelling all around the region." The peddler said. "It'll take us some time to write to each other…" The peddler just shrugs. "If you want to… could you send in some words to my brothers when you meet them? It has been quite some time since we were together…"

"Your brothers…?" Vanille looked at the peddler and nodded. "Okay! I got it! A… err… reunion, right?"

"Right." The peddler handed something over to Vanille. It's a letter. "If you meet any of my brothers, pass it to them." The peddler said. "Oh, and say that this is from Two-Six."

"Two-Six?" Vanille tilted her head.

"That's my name."

"Oh! I see!" Vanille nodded. "I'll do my best, then!" She stood by idly.

"Your friends are over there." Two-Six said, pointing at the group that's quite far from their position. Vanille looked at the direction Two-Six pointed at. "Oh! There they are!" Vanille said, hurrying over to them, where they were turning around.

"Vanille!" Luca called out when he saw her. "Where were you?!"

"I was helping someone…" Vanille replied.

Arturo sighed. "Vanille, you really want to help people, but you must remember not to worry us as well. Please give us your consent if you want to help someone next time, alright?"

"Oh…" Vanille looked down. "I got it…"

"H-Hold on…" Arche shook her head. "We're not saying that we're mad at you…"

Vanille looked up. "Really?"

"Um… right, really." Luca said. For some reason, he felt that his stomach was full of butterflies to the brim.

Vanille nodded, her personality apparently flipping back from gloomy to her usual self. "Okay! So… let's go to the train station!"

Arriving at the train station, it was not very crowded. There seemed to be some sort of problem as the boarding platform was quite empty. As Arturo talked to the ticket booth attendant, the others waited at a bench. "Huh?" Luca took note of the environment. There were several discussions in the train station, too many for Luca to listen to all of them. However, he could make out several conversations which follows:

"Shadow Warriors? They're a group associated with the Shadows, aren't they?"

"The breakdowns have become more frequent here, recently…"

"Hey, I've heard of some sort of dragon wanderer not far from here. But then, it's none of my business. No one trusts dragons, after all. I mean, they are too dangerous to be friends."

Luca began to curl a hand into a fist. He tried to calm himself down from listening to crap about anything relating to dragons but the last one lit up his fuse.

"The Shadows… Is it just me or did more of them appear after the Demon King died? Whoever was responsible for this clearly didn't think about this. Now we have more problems because of them."

Luca was about to head towards whoever said that a piece of his mind. However, Arche apparently heard that as well, and stopped Luca. "Arche?!" Luca said to her.

"Luca, you have to calm down." Arche said.

"Bu-"

"You can't do anything for now, Luca." Arche told him.

Luca felt a spike pierce him upon hearing that last part. He had forgotten about that. 'But Elazul's my friend! I still need to find him and ask him about everything!' He thought. 'I have to find him!' Luca gave a relented sigh. '…He's still my friend… right?'

In the midst of his thinking, Luca felt a large hand slap his back, not forcefully, but it felt rather playfully. He stumbled and nearly fell on the ground. Luca turned around. "A-Alvin!?" Luca is surprised to see the Diggserby mercenary with a grin. He had his trademark brown coat on and his gunblades by the sides.

"Alvin?" Vanille said.

"Hahahaha!" Alvin laughed. "I didn't expect to see you here, Luca! And you too, Vanille!" With his regular hands, he shook Luca's hands. "So, what brings you to Mare?"

Luca managed to regain his composure and talked to Alvin. "Well, we're heading to Academia."

"Then, who is she?" Alvin said, pointing to Arche. He took some time to look at her before anyone spoke before his head lit up in realization."

"Oh, right! The prin-cmmmph?!" Alvin's mouth was suddenly shut by Luca's hands.

Alvin looked at Arche, then at Vanille. He chuckled. "Look at you, Luca. You've got yourself a harem, didn't you?" He said jokingly.

"Harem?" Vanille asked with a tilt.

Alvin looked at her. "You see, a harem is-"

"Okay, that's enough!" Luca said, somehow red in the face. "Don't go stuffing stuff into her head which she doesn't need to know!"

Alvin looked at Luca now, stifling a laughter. "I get it… You-mmmphhhhh…" And for the second time, Luca shut Alvin up, his face completely burning in embarrassment. "Enough!"

'Huh…? What's wrong with them? I don't get it…' Vanille thought, watching the whole scene.

"I am back." Arturo's voice called out from behind. "What is with the noise coming from over here?" As Arturo got a closer look, he soon caught Alvin in his sight. "Oh…! You… are Alvin, I assume?"

Alvin chuckled. "That's right. The one and only Alvin is here!" He said, patting his chest. "So… let's talk somewhere less rowdy and tell our stories!"

The group told Alvin about the happenings during their journey before they reached Mare. Alvin also shared about his experiences during the two months. From his experiences, it turns out that many things had happened in just the two months that passed. News about a group called the "Shadow Warriors" spread like wildfire. They are apparently a powerful and skilled group of individuals, from what Alvin has heard. He told them that one of the members is called the "God General" based on their supreme strength that outclasses others. He also told them that a circus troupe called the "Black Dream" would take place in a few days' time at Academia. For some reason, he feels that they should check on that circus.

"Luca can't cast spells, huh?" Alvin said, chugging down a mug of beer afterwards.

"…Yeah… I don't know why…" Luca spoke softly, drinking a glass of water.

"One question: I don't understand what 'rowdy' is, but this place is noisy." Vanille sipped on a cola from a straw as a loud holler rang in the atmosphere. The 'somewhere less rowdy' that Alvin suggested is a local tavern called 'Seabell'. There were plenty of Pokémon, marines most likely, in the building probably here to relax.

Alvin placed his mug on the wooden table. "Sorry, Luca." Alvin sighed. "I didn't hear about anything involving magic, so… I'm not sure on how to help you either."

"That's alright…"

"It's not alright. After all, you and Vanille owe me a rescue. I saved you two in Costa Island, remember?" He turned around, raising his empty mug. "Hey, miss! Another mug of beer!" He called out. He turned around to look at Luca, whose face was now resting on the table, looking more depressed than ever. "…Oops?" Alvin said. "I guess I'm not helping either…"

"I suppose that you should not worry about that for now…" Arturo sighed. "I too hope that Luca recovers soon…"

"Nnnnnn…" Luca started to whimper from the table through muffled sounds.

"Oh dear… It is much worse now…"

"That aside…" Arche said, looking at Alvin. He was busily gulping down a refill. "Alvin, what did you want to personally talk about to us?"

Placing the mug down, Alvin nodded. "…Yes." Alvin's voice sounded serious, a tone rarely heard from him. "I think… that the Crystal Bearers are gonna be on a big quest now. No, scratch that 'think', I know. Yeah, that's right."

"The Crystal Bearers? You mean… the ones holding onto the Crystals?" Arche said.

"Yeah." Alvin gave a nod. "From the past two months, I've been hearing a voice. It informed me of an impending disaster. I initially dismissed it as a hallucination from being exhausted. But… I've been hearing it again and again. Eventually, I traced the source… and it's this."

Alvin brought out an amber-coloured gem from his coat.

"That is an Amber…" Arturo said. "It is similar in shape to my Emerald… That means you…"

Alvin nodded. "You guessed it. I'm a Crystal Bearer. Just like the rest of you. That gem chose me to be its' owner."

Luca rose his head from the table. "The gem chose you?"

"Yes." Alvin said. "I found this gem a little while after Dhaos's death. And that's when the voice began to speak to me. It said that I am one of them. It'd signify whoever is a Crystal Bearer by radiating a glow."

"A glow…" Luca said. "…That's right…! My Sapphire glowed before back then!" He folded his arms and shrugged. "But, I don't hear any voices. And neither does Vanille."

"You don't?" Alvin looked quite surprised.

"That means this theory is confirmed." Arturo spoke.

"What theory?" Alvin said.

"Two days, before we reached Mare, I talked with Luca. I discussed with him that I had been hearing voices. And I deduced that the voices were from my Emerald." Arturo told Alvin, showing his Emerald hanging from a vine. "Hmm… so the Crystal Bearers hear voices from their Crystals once they are recognized as their owners…"

Alvin stared at his mug of beer, grabbed it, and immediately gulped the remaining liquid down his throat. "Okay, I'm all finished here!" He looked at the rest of the group. "…You haven't finished your drinks yet?"

"We don't really chug down the drinks, Alvin." Arche said.

"I still have to savor the flavors of this nutritious drink." Arturo said. Alvin looked at Arturo's drink.

"…What are you drinking…?" Alvin said. Arturo's drink was coloured completely black. In fact, it looked like the exterior of the cup was actually stained by the contents of this drink. In fact, it looked more like a chemical product than a beverage.

"…I have no idea." Arturo said. "The waiter said that it is a vegetable juice."

"I thought you ordered water." Luca said.

"But this is more nutritious than water. So, I cancelled my order for water and replaced it with this drink. Perhaps I could draw out inspiration from this beverage." Arturo sipped the contents of the 'vegetable juice'… and started to cough and shiver every few seconds.

Alvin stared at the scene silently while everyone resumed drinking. "Well, anyway, who's the leader of the group?"

"That would be me." Arche said.

"Alright, you can count on me to help out whenever you want!" Alvin tapped his chest.

"Alright, Alvin. I'll remember that." Arche nodded.

"The train's not gonna run anytime soon, so I'm going to help out with the equipments!" Alvin said. "Don't worry! Leave it all to me!"

"Hmph. You look bored." A figure clad in black armor said from a tree stump towards a male.

"They didn't even satisfy my hunger…" The male turned around. He is a Ninjask garbed in black. Both his arms were wrapped around with metallic chains. One end of the chain had a blood-tainted sickle hanging from it, and the other end had a kunai. A long scar trailed on the right side of his face, particularly at his right eye, where a black fabric covered it. Around him, were scattered bodies painted in red.

The armored figure walked from the tree stump it had been resting on from that battle. "When will that hunger be satisfied?"

"Heheh… I'll only feel satisfaction once I kill my 'brother'." The Ninjask said, pointing to his scar. "After all, I have to pay him back for this… Small fries like these are no match for me!"

"Overconfidence will lead to your downfall." The figure simply said.

"Fine, fine, God General…" The Ninjask rolled his eye.

"…" The armored figure placed a hand at the left side of its' helmet. "What is it?" The Ninjask did the same thing, resting an arm at the left side, apparently listening to something.

"…Mmhm. Got it. We'll return." The Ninjask said. He turned his head over to the armored figure's side. "Leader's calling for us. Let's go." He soon found the armored figure looking at a direction. Heading over to the armored figure's side, there is a clear view of the land of the area, and the city Mare.

"What is it?" The scarred-eyed Ninjask said.

The armored figure stared silently at Mare. "…It's nothing." The figure said. "Now, let's go." Taking out a black cube, the armored figure threw it in front of them. The cube grew into a portal. The two walked directly into the portal before it closed up.

 **Chapter 27 End**

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Sealed Child (What could have happened for this child to be unable to use magic…?)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff+1 (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Upbeat Girl (Hmm... I am really good at a lot of things!(According to her))**

 **Weapon: Custom Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Gladius (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Revolver (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Sigh… School's back…**

 **So… err… We meet Alvin after a long time! We get to know about a group called the Shadow Warriors… What are the Shadow Warriors…? Well, next Chapter will return to Elazul's side, let's see how the spearsman's faring over here!**

 **Skit: The Other Self**

 **Vanille: "I am thou… Thou art I… From the sea of thy soul, I come…"**

 **Vanille: (confused) "Hmm… What did it say again…? P…Per…Peru…"**

 **(Arche entering)**

 **Arche: "What are you doing, Vanille?"**

 **Vanille: "Oh, Arche! I don't know how to say this word!"**

 **Arche: "Hmm… This is from a book?"**

 **Vanille: "This book said something about individuals summoning their 'other self'. It's like a power for them. I'm trying to say that line, but I can't say the last word!"**

 **Arche: "Try saying the word by syllables."**

 **Vanille: "Syllables? I'll try!"**

 **Vanille: "…Pe…r…so…na…"**

 **Vanille: "I am thou… Thou art I… From the sea of thy soul, I come… Persona!"**

 **Vanille: (joyful) "I did it! I said the line!"**

 **Arche: "That's quite good, Vanille. But… what is this book?"**

 **Vanille: "I don't know. But it looked like it is really famous. Like there is one story talking about solving a mystery in a foggy place and another talking about justice."**

 **Arche: "I see… Well, we should prepare to go to Academia soon."**

 **Vanille: "Okay, I'm going!"**


	31. Chapter 28:Silent Blade

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Elazul Side**

 **Chapter 28: Silent Blade**

 _A day ago from the present time…_

A blazing but small fire crackled in the forest. Two individuals stood at opposite ends of the situated campfire. One is Elazul, with Fennikusu perched on his left shoulder, and the other one is a Ninjask. The Ninjask is dressed in a black garb covering his entire body excluding his head and arms. A black trailing scarf is wrapped around his neck, occasionally drifting in the breeze blowing every few minutes. The light from the fire lit up the area minorly, but it was bright enough for Elazul to tell that the Ninjask had a scar at his right eye. A long vertical scar that could have been made by a slash from a bladed object.

'How did I meet him…?' Elazul said mentally. 'It was just a few hours ago…'

* * *

 _Way earlier on that same day…_

"A traveller, aren't you?" A shopkeeper inquired her customer.

"…Yes." Elazul stared at the ingredients that he had placed on the counter. He knows that his cooking skill is rather… terrible, but at least he knows how to make edible dishes with these ingredients. The shopkeeper, apparently satisfied with the answer, packed the ingredients into a sack. "Altogether, that'll be 4,500 Poké."

"Here." Elazul handed the money to the shopkeeper. He grabbed the sack, slinging over his shoulder and leaving the store. After he walked out of the store's doors, he heard a joyous chirp.

"Kusu!" The Fletchling perched on the store's roof flew down until it reached his other shoulder, resting nicely on him. Fennikusu snuggled happily on Elazul's neck. He couldn't help, but smile as it did that. It had been snuggling on his neck whenever it rested on his shoulder, and he's used to it.

He stared at the map posted outside the store. "…Academia, huh?" He said, his face returning to his usual cold look. "I don't need help, but…" He reached for his collar, removing the earpiece. It is small, and his ears are large; he doubt that he could clip it on his ear. But then, it didn't matter. After all, he had extremely good hearing. He moved a nail until it rested on the small button and pressed it slightly. "…Hey." He said.

"…Hello?" A voice spoke from the earpiece. "And this is…?"

"Who is this?" Elazul said.

"Oh, that monotonous voice…" The voice from the earpiece said. "…Elazul, was it? I'm Steel. We've met before."

"You're that Pawniard…"

"Correction: I am now a Bisharp." Steel said. "Dice's now a Krokorok as well. So… anyway, what would you like us to help you with?"

"…You sound like you're trying to bend your head to answer me." Elazul said. "Don't you have hands?"

"My 'hands' are blades." Steel told Elazul. "And you still haven't told me what you want us to do."

Elazul closed his eyes. "Fine. What I… request the Black Wings to do… is to look for information in the city Academia." He said. Steel hummed from the earpiece. "All right, now you finally told us what to do. And what will that information be?"

"Anything about a place that bears the description of an foggy island." Elazul said.

"A foggy island?" Steel inquired. "Hmm… I don't know of such a place… But we'll do it anyway. We're planning to head to Academia anyway for our business."

"Okay. Once you three are done gathering information, find a place to gather and report it to me. And one more thing…"

"Yes?"

"If any of you ever see my… 'comrades', warn me. And do your best to divert their attention away from me." Elazul didn't want to say friends. He didn't want to drag anyone else into his own matters. Steel seemed to be contemplating on that order as he didn't respond for quite some time. "…Understand?" Elazul spoke through the earpiece again.

"…Okay, we got it. Academia, gather information about a foggy island. Distract 'comrades'." Steel said. "Anything else?"

"No."

"Leave the business to the Black Wings." Steel said. The connection ended, and Elazul fitted the earpiece on his collar again. Fennikusu chirped in confusion, most likely unable to understand the conversation. "…It's nothing." Elazul said. The tiny robin soon nodded its' head. "Kusu!" And with that, Elazul headed on the path. He didn't really feel like flying this time. He took no time to examine the surroundings as he silently walked to his destination.

"Well, looks like we got a catch this time!"

A loud voice said after a while. Elazul turned his head. From where he is, he could see a field, a sole female Roserade in the center of a group of Pokémon, thieves most likely. The Roserade wore a sleeveless violet minidress. Her bouquet-like arms are covered in a set of long gloves and she seemed to be carrying a basket. Fennikusu was staring idly at the scene, most likely unable to understand the situation. 'I can't be bothered with this…' Elazul turned his attention away from the still Roserade and was about to continue on his path. Before he even took a step, he heard a shout.

"Who're you supposed to be? You want some?"

"What the-"

"Watch ou-"

"Behind yo-AAGH!"

"He's too fast! Where is that small bastar-"

"W-Wait! St-"

Soon, there was no noise. Elazul turned his head back to the Roserade, only to see all of the thieves collapsed on the ground, half of them probably dead. But now, just near the Roserade, a cicada-like creature dressed in a black garb is now near her. He could hear the conversation between the two of them.

"Thank you." The Roserade spoke.

"…" The Ninjask said nothing.

"You are really strong." The Roserade said. "I admired your strength just now."

"…It's nothing." The Ninjask said. "I need more training."

"Hopefully, we may meet again." The Roserade said, and Elazul heard some footsteps. This meant that the Roserade had gone off to her own way. The Ninjask remained at the field, hovering at the same area. Elazul continued to stare at the Ninjask. There was no doubt that Ninjask was quite skilled to take down a sheer number of enemies.

'…Why am I thinking that…?' Elazul placed his claw on his face. 'It has nothing to do with me.' He shook his head and looked away. And just as he was about to take a step forward, something appeared a distance in front of him. It's the Ninjask. Taking a closer look, Elazul noticed that the Ninjask had a scar at his right eye. "…You…" The Ninjask spoke. "I request a duel."

"…And what if I refuse?" Elazul raised a 'brow'.

"You won't." The Ninjask's arm reached for a pouch. "You witnessed my skills earlier, didn't you?"

'So it could tell that I heard the battle.' Elazul said mentally. 'And it did that without even looking towards my direction.'

"I can tell that you're strong and skilled." The Ninjask drew out a shuriken from the pouch. "As part of my journey to become better, I shall compete against powerful opponents."

"Become better, huh?" Elazul said. '…I don't know about the place at all. I have to become stronger… I must…' Elazul nodded his head once. "…Fine. I'll satisfy your demand." He spoke. His head turned to look at Fennikusu and motioned his head to a tree. The robin stared at him and nodded, flapping and perching on a tree branch. It looked at the two that were about to battle, shivering in either anticipation or fear. The robin couldn't tell.

The Ninjask begun the battle, shifting its' arm slightly, and the shuriken was released at a tremendous speed. Elazul evasively stepped to his left. The shuriken missed him, still spinning until gravity took effect and it landed on a measurably far distance from the two. As Elazul turned back to face the Ninjask, he realized that it was no longer there. He immediately looked up, and saw the Ninjask swiftly throwing three shurikens at him. He moved his head right to dodge the first shuriken, stepped back to avoid the second one, and swiftly pulled out his spear and deflected the third shuriken. He looked back upward, the Ninjask was no longer above him.

'It's fast!' Elazul thought. 'I nearly lost track of it every few seconds!' He swiftly looked around, waiting for the Ninjask to make its' next move. The Ninjask suddenly appeared and threw a kunai at him. Instinctively, he moved slightly as the kunai was about to land near him. The Ninjask's arms moved in rapid succession. "Ninja Arte: Raiden." The Ninjask spoke. The kunai landed on the ground, and a lightning bolt suddenly struck down on the kunai, discharging electricity. "! Shit!" He quickly moved upon seeing the lightning bolt, but his foot didn't escape a minor surge of electricity. He winced as his foot got slightly numb.

"Electricity…" Elazul moved his toes, the numbness wasn't serious and wore off easily. Once again, he lost track of the Ninjask. 'Calm down…' Elazul thought. 'Just focus… and wait for it to strike again…' He did his best to relax his tensing muscles. He positioned his spear at a direction. "…Azure Edge!" He announced, lunging his spear forward. A blue-green blast suddenly released from the speartip, striking a tree. Just before it landed, the Ninjask swiftly emerged from the tree Elazul targeted. He saw the Ninjask throwing shurikens again at him. "Ninja Arte: Manjushage." The Ninjask said, and the shurikens were suddenly coated with fire. Elazul immediately spun around, spinning his spear and knocking all the flame-coated shurikens away from him. The Ninjask flew towards him as it unrolled a scroll, materializing something through the produced smoke. Instinctively, Elazul raised his spear and managed to block the attack. The item that was produced from the scroll is a sheathed katana, the handle held on both arms of the Ninjask. It was about as long as the Ninjask's height. Still, it was impressive that it could carry a heavy-looking weapon about its' size.

The Ninjask flew back, and unsheathed the katana, throwing the scabbard away which vanished into smoke. Elazul noticed that he was sweating. 'This guy's really putting some tension in me…' he thought. 'But looks like it wants to end the battle with this attack.' He readied his spear, aura starting to surround the weapon. And the two suddenly advanced towards each other.

"Gale Arc!"

"Bassairyuuzan."

The two artes clashed, creating a force and shredding earth. "Kusu…!" Fennikusu flapped its wings as the force nearly blew it off the branch.

As the dust cleared, Elazul could feel the cold blade nearly touching his neck. The same goes for the Ninjask, whose neck was nearly in contact with the spearhead just in front of its neck. The two now competed in a deadly gaze, waiting silently for the other to make a move. Just one move to determine the outcome of the match. But all things have to come to an end, and so it did. The Ninjask simply closed its' eyes and released its' hold on the katana, letting it fall.

"…I lost." The Ninjask spoke. Elazul retreated his spear and placed it on his back. "You are truly incredible." The Ninjask said. "I don't know of several warriors that could match my skills in combat." Normally, if someone complimented another, they would look quite warm. However, this Ninjask did not. It spoke with a very impassive face, so it was hard to tell whether it meant that or not.

"So… you're a dude." Elazul said.

"…Yes." The Ninjask clarified his gender. He reached down for his katana, taking out the scroll used from earlier. Placing the weapon on the open scroll, the katana sunk into the scroll. The Ninjask picked the scroll up and placed it beside his pouch.

"…I feel like I could learn something from you." The Ninjask said. "I'll be accompanying you for a while."

"…And what if I say no?" Elazul said, already guessing what the Ninjask will say.

"It doesn't matter. I'll still accompany you." It _wa_ s what he guessed what the Ninjask would say. "Not easy to convince, huh?" Elazul said, shaking his head. He looked back at the tree Fennikusu had perched on. He whistled, and Fennikusu chirped and flew towards him, resting on his head.

"Just don't slow me down." Elazul told the Ninjask, beginning to walk. The Ninjask silently nodded and followed him.

* * *

"…Nin."

"…Huh?" Elazul mumbled, looking at the Ninjask.

"Nin. Nin Azura." The scarred-eyed Ninjask introduced himself.

"…Elazul. Elazul del Fable." Elazul said. His head turned away. 'Why did I even introduce myself…?' he thought.

The scarred-eyed Ninjask, Nin, resumed examining his blade, something he had been doing the entire time. 'He's not one for conversation.' Elazul thought.

"…The food you prepared is nasty." Nin said.

"…" Elazul had somewhat expected him to say that as a blank face formed on him.

"At least the second attempt with my advice, the food was at least slightly better that your first attempt." Nin told Elazul.

"Thanks for that comment, I feel soooo much better…" Elazul said.

"That's alright." Nin closed his eyes. Elazul shut his eyes, but for a different reason. 'He doesn't even sense sarcasm. Neat.' He soon heard the quiet snores coming from Fennikusu. He looked at the robin's peaceful face as it slept. He turned to face Nin.

"Go to sleep." Elazul said.

"…Okay." Nin said.

* * *

A _t the present time…_

"This is the place?" Nin said. He had followed Elazul and now, they could see a large city that looked quite prosperous. There were plenty of buildings that looked like libraries or schools in the city. That is the city of education, Academia. They continued to stare at the large city for what seemed like an eternity.

"…Why're you going on this journey?" Elazul said suddenly.

"…Huh?" Nin said.

"You're going on your journey for a reason, aren't you?" Elazul said.

"My reason?" Nin faced him, and looked away. "I'm… in search of… someone." He looked back at Elazul. "What's your reason for going on your journey?"

"…The same as yours." Elazul told Nin. Nin looked back at Academia. "…This place doesn't concern my journey." Nin said. "I'm afraid that we have to part ways from here." He turned away from the city, fluttering away from Elazul. "If we meet again, I request a duel." After speaking those words, Nin vanished from the hill. Elazul faced Fennikusu and looked at the city. "…Let's go." He headed towards Academia with his objectives set…

…To find a foggy island.

 **Chapter 28 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Wanderer (The parting of friends is cruel… Nonetheless, he has to go on this journey alone…)**

 **Weapon: Shell Splitter (Spears)**

 **And thus Nin Azura made his complete introduction. A mysterious ninja whose goals are… undefined. Nonetheless, everyone has their own journey. And we'll return back to Luca side on the next chapter…**


	32. Chapter 29:A Learnt Lesson

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 29: A Learnt Lesson**

"Hyah!" A Breloom wearing a gi performed a roundhouse kick, knocking his opponent and forcing them to step out of a chalked line on the floor.

"The battle is over! For forcing his opponent out of the ring, Kite Maxwell is the victor!" A referee declared. Kite took a deep breath and headed to his opponent, extending his arm to shake hands. "Kite, I believe you have some news to say to everyone here." The referee said.

Kite nodded. "Yes, I do." He turned to the rest of the students gathered in the room. "Everyone, I will not be attending practice for a long time." He told the students. "I need to focus on my studies. I know that I've recently graduated from my school, and I'm about to attend a higher-level school by the end of this year, but I feel that I need to enhance my knowledge. I've learned so much sparring with everyone here, and no words can express how grateful I really am." He bowed down. "I'm sorry."

The students were quiet for a while, as if registering what Kite had just said. He faced the referee. "I should leave now." He said, heading out of the room and away from the practically frozen students. He entered the locker room of the dojo, headed over to a locker and opened it. Kite brought out a set of clothing from the locker, the clothing he regularly wears while he took his gi off. Placing the gi as a neatly folded pile, he put on his clothing. He breathed before taking the gi and placing it in the locker. His hand reached to close the locker when he heard a voice.

"Kite-kun~!" Kite immediately felt a sudden presence heading his way. He spun around, swinging his leg to the right, striking something black and sending it flying towards the wall. Kite gasped upon striking the black figure. "Taro!" Kite shouted. "I told you not to scare me like that!" The black figure, a Banette doll, slowly slid off from the wall and plopped on the ground. "Aaah!" A Ralts scurried over to the doll. "T-Taro! I told you not to go without me!" she said.

Taro, the Banette doll, moaned in pain as he floated in a wobbly fashion . "But Kite-kun… I was hoping I could catch him this time…"

"Which is why I told you not to try and scare me like the first time." Kite said. "Do you remember what happened?" Taro shivered, thinking about the first time he had been flung towards a ceiling by a tremendous strike from a leg. "But anyway, what're you doing here?" Kite faced Lucille. "I thought I told you to stay in the house!"

"B-But…" Lucille twiddled her hands. "I-It was Taro's idea…"

Taro nodded. "Y-Yeah! You rarely spend time with us! Of course we need to see you!" He said.

Kite folded his arms, sighing. It was true. Ever since he found the duo in Academia and decided to take care of them, his priorities were still studies and training at his family's dojo. Well, at least the studying part. He only got food to eat with them and that was the only sum of time that they had spent together.

"…Okay… I'm not busy for the rest of the day." Kite said. "So, I'll be there with you for the rest of the day."

Lucille and Taro looked relived. "Kite-kun!" Taro sped towards him and his zipper mouth opened… and he chomped on Kite's face. "Oh…!" Lucille gasped. Kite remained still and his arms reached for Taro. He grabbed Taro's body and started pulling him away from his face.

Taro's head was eventually pried out of Kite's face, springing front and back before it straightened. He retreated to Lucille's arms. "Are you okay…?" Lucille asked Kite, her arms wrapped around Taro's body.

"Yeah, I'm fine… like the rest of those times…" Kite answered.

"Hey, Kite!" Few voices called out from outside the locker room. "O-Oh…!" Lucille hid behind Kite. And as she did, several students entered the locker room, or barged in based on how they entered. "You're seriously leaving the dojo?" One of the students asked.

"This is a joke, right!?" Another called out.

"I mean, how in the world…!"

"Oh, who's that little girl behind you?"

That one student's comment brought plenty of attention to Lucille. "E-Eep…" Lucille tried her best to hide herself behind Kite. "Oh." Kite turned to look at Lucille. "She's someone I'm taking care of." He turned back to the other students. Slowly, Lucille peeked from behind Kite. "I-I'm L-Lucille O-Ostend…" she mumbles before hiding behind Kite. She looked up to Kite. "K-Kite… I think we should go…" she told him. Kite nodded. "Okay, guys… I'll be going no-"

"That's a funny-looking doll she's hugging there." One of the students motioned to Taro. The Banette was like in a state of immobility, not even moving an inch. "Can I touch it? Just for curiosity." Soon, after that statement, Lucille was immediately swarmed around by the students. "Wow, that doll's squishy… and yet quite hard too."

"Wonder how she's holding something that big…"

"Hahaha, you can stretch its' head! That doll is really unique!"

"This girl probably has the funniest doll that could have ever been made, right!?"

"A-All right! Okay! OKAY! We're leaving now!" Kite shouted, squeezing through the students and pulling Lucille out of the crowding students. "Oh…! Bye, then!" the students said. Kite brought Lucille out of the dojo and into Academia's streets. "…AAARRRGGH!" Taro suddenly moved and flailed his arms. "Did they have any idea how much that hurt!?"

"If you think about it, dolls aren't naturally supposed to be living…" Kite pointed out.

"Because I'm a special doll!" Taro says proudly. "I'm Lucille and Kite-kun's friend!"

"Nhm…" Lucille nodded. "K-Kite… a circus is coming to perform around here… C-Could we visit it…?" Kite started to ponder. "The circus? You mean, the Black Dream? They're quite the performers." He nodded. "Okay. I did say that I'll spend time with you. So, let's go to the circus today."

Lucille nodded, clearly happy. "R-Right! I'll just… stay close to you…" She said, and held Kite's stretched arm. She paused before releasing her hand on his. "N-Never mind…"

* * *

"Alright. Here's the payment." Kite said at a booth situated under a large building. He was given a pair of tickets. 'I should get back to Lucille now…' he thought, turning around and immediately bumping into someone. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Kite said, looking at the figure he had bumped into. The figure's entire body is covered in a tattered leather mantle. It also had enormous ears. The figure stopped to turn its' head slightly, before looking away and heading into the circus.

'Who is that? I've never seen someone like it before…' Kite questioned himself.

"Kite?" Lucille was suddenly beside Kite. Kite immediately turned around. "Lucille!" Lucille was looking behind him. "Who's that scary guy you bumped into…?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know…" Kite told her.

"The circus… I wonder what's it like?" A voice spoke loudly.

"Vanille. We've just arrived in Academia." Another voice spoke. "We're not going for sightseeing just yet…"

"I agree with Arche. She has a fixed mindset."

"Hey, Alvin. Is visiting the circus important right now?"

"Well… I guess we can visit it a bit later after you guys are done…"

Kite and Lucille turned to notice a loud group consisting of a Slurpuff, a Politoed, a Serperior, a Diggersby and a Diancle. "But it's my first time here! I want to know what a circus is like!" The Slurpuff said.

"We can do that later, Vanille." The Diancle said.

"Then I'll just ask someone else!" The Slurpuff begins looking around. Eventually, she was now in front of Kite and Lucille. "Can you tell me what a circus is like?" She asked.

"What it's like…?" Kite mumbled. "I was about to watch the circus' performance… So…"

"Oh… okay…" The Slurpuff said, looking dejected… for a second. "Oh! You! Can you tell me what a circus is like?" She was pointing at Lucille. The Ralts eeps and quickly hid behind Kite. "U-Umm…" Lucille couldn't find anything to say. Soon, the Politoed in blue robes headed over. "Hey, Vanille! We should get going now!" He said.

The Slurpuff, or named Vanille, twirled once. "Alright! Then, let's go!"

"Kite Maxwell." Kite suddenly spoke. '…Why did I just introduce myself to a group of strangers?' He thought, realizing what he had just said.

"Maxwell? As in… the "Maxwell Dojo"?" The Diancle asks.

"Correct." Kite replied.

"I…I…" Lucille peeked out from her hiding place behind Kite. "M-My name… is Lucille… Ostend…" She spoke softly and timidly. She looked at Taro. "A-And… this is Taro…"

Taro didn't respond.

"Then, we should just introduce ourselves, shouldn't we?" Vanille suggested. Before anyone could speak up, she went ahead. "I'm Cloudia Vanille! Call me Vanille!"

She pointed to the Politoed. "And he's Luca R. Ezperanda!" she introduced Luca.

She moved on to the Serperior. "His name is Arturo Caraprice!"

"Carpaice!" Arturo corrected. "Arturo Carpaice!"

She then looked over to the Diggersby. "His name is… err… We just call him Alvin."

"Such a poor introduction…" Alvin mumbles.

"Finally…" Vanille began to introduce the Diancle. "This is Arche! She's the pr–"

"-A tourist!" Luca interrupted Vanille with a loud voice. "Arche's a tourist!"

"Huh?" Vanille tilted her head. "But Arche's the–"

"Tourist!"

"Oh, okay… Arche's a tourist…" Vanille nodded.

"Arche…?" Kite scratched his chin. "I feel like I've heard of that name before… But where…?"

"Okay… let's go right now!" Luca shouted. "We've to find a library, fast!"

Kite appeared to have forgotten what he was thinking earlier. "A library? Then, should I recommend a place?" He felt Lucille tugging his shirt as he said that. "Oh, Lucille…" He said. "I'm going for a short while…"

"B-But you promised to spend time with me today…" Lucille said, sounding almost disheartened.

"Do you want to see the circus?" Kite asked.

Lucille nodded silently.

"Do you want to follow me to the library?" Kite asked.

Lucille paused and shook her head.

Kite sighed, pressing his claws on his forehead. He faced the group of currently strangers in front of him, and back to Lucille. He sighed again. "I'm so sorry, Lucille." He told Lucille. "I did promise you that I'll spend time with you… But today doesn't seem like it."

"…It's okay…" Lucille said, trying not to sound more disheartened. "I'd just… go… inside… the circus…" She turned around and walked very slowly to the circus tent. Kite sighed deeply as he watched her enter the tent. "Oh, Lucille…" He muttered.

Luca stared at the young girl with her doll entering the circus along with the other visitors. 'Huh…? I felt something off about her…' Luca thought. 'Was it just my imagination…?' He scratched his head. 'Wait a minute… Come to think of it… Alvin… somehow feels different…'

"Hey, Luca!" Alvin suddenly called out. Luca blinked. "What're you spacing out for? The young boy's gonna lead us to a library!" Luca soon noticed that everyone else was ahead of him, being led by Kite. "Y-Yes! I'm coming over!" Luca called out as he hurried to the group.

* * *

Kite led the group of five to the largest library in Academia. "This will do." Kite said. "W…Woooooow!" Vanille gasped at the sheer size of the towering library. "It's so huge!" She turned to Kite. "Why did you help us, anyway?"

"That…" Kite scratched his chin. "I… don't know… But you could call it… a meeting of fate, I suppose. But then again, I might be wrong…" He stared at the library for a brief moment. "I should get going now." He said, turning around. And he subsequently tripped after turning around, dropping something in the process. An agate-coloured gem rolled on the floor. "Huh? Is that-?" Arturo wondered before Kite picked it up and placed it in the pocket where it fell from. He quickly hurried away from the group. He turned to Luca. "Do you suppose that he might be…?"

Alvin started to walk away from the group. "Alvin? Where're you going?" Arche noticed Alvin. "Oh, I'm going to check on something first, I'll be back here soon." Alvin responded before he headed off in a direction.

"Huh? Alvin?" Vanille scratched her head.

"Let's go inside, everyone." Arche said. "We can leave Alvin to his own devices."

'Alvin has devices…?' Vanille wondered.

The group entered the library Kite had brought them to. It was large. There were about two floors which were nearly filled with bookshelves. Of course, by regulations, the atmosphere is quiet. Visitors walked around the shelves to browse through books. The group split up individually to find out books relating to magic.

"Hmm… "Simple Magic Tricks"?" Arturo looked through a book he had picked. "…It appears to be irrelevant to Arche's objective. I will reject it and find another book."

"Not this book either…" Luca mumbled. "Neither is this one…"

"This book! And another! Oh, and this too!" Vanille chirped. She was at… a different section far from the magic sections.

Arche flipped through a book. "Luca… over here." Arche beckoned Luca to head over to her side. Noticing her call, Luca headed over to Arche. "You found something?" he asked. Arche nodded. "Bring everyone to a table."

And so, Arturo and Vanille were gathered along with Luca and Arche at an empty table. They stared silently at the pile of books Vanille had brought. None of those had any relation to magic. But Vanille seemed to be enjoying herself, reading through those books quietly, so they said nothing.

"This book…" Arche said. "I'm surprised that it wasn't at a restricted area… but this book explains about high-tier magic spells that even skilled mages have difficulty casting… I'll read out the details." She stopped flipping at a certain area and began to read. "Out of the high-tier magic spells, there is one spell that is extremely powerful, but extremely dangerous. It was called "Indignation". This spell conjures heavenly lightning to strike down foes. It is said that there is no victim who has survived Indignation… However, as powerful as the spell is, there is a heavy drawback in casting this spell. In order to cast Indignation, the caster must have a strong ability to control magic. If they do not have enough magic, but managed to cast this spell, they will suffer an extreme strain through their flow of magic. Consequences include muscle numbness, unsteady breathing, damage in sight, memory loss… or in worst case scenarios, death or the inability to cast magic for all of eternity..."

Luca froze at the last part. "…The… inability… to cast magic… forever…?" He managed to choke out.

Arche closed her eyes. "I… This… I refuse to believe this… But… it is… true." She sighed. "There were several files I've read about cases like this… and those victims suffered those consequences…"

"Th-Then…" Luca's voice is shaking. "I-I-I… can't… c-cast… use… magic…?"

Arche and Arturo were silent. Vanille had stopped reading her books at the previous statement. "It is a bad thing…" Vanille said.

"I-I'm… pathetic now… I can't help anyone…? I can't… do anything at all-?" He was crying. 'How can I get to him… if I can't do something…?' he thought. '…Am I really… useless?'

"O-Okay…!" Vanille tried to sound upbeat. "Let's think positive! There's a way for Luca to cast spells again, right?"

Arche didn't say anything.

"Anyone? Someone? Please…? Um… Let's find a way, then! For Luca's speedy recovery!" Vanille said.

"Shhhhhh!" All of the visitors shushed Vanille for being too loud.

"I'm too loud…?" Vanille said, sitting down.

"We've seen enough of this." Arche got up. "Let's go out of the library. And plan on what to do from now on… Other than finding other bearers of the Crystals..."

"That reminds me… Didn't that Kite drop something similar like a Crystal?" Arturo said.

"…That's right." Arche said. "He did have something like that. We should talk to him the next time we meet him. If he could hear voices, then he could be a Crystal Bearer."

"The last time we saw him head to… was at where we came from the circus, right?" Arturo said.

"Let's check it out." Arche said. "Let's go, Vanille. Luca."

"Aww! Now?" Vanille said.

Luca was quiet. The four headed out of the library, finding Alvin returning to the entrance from outside. "Oh, you done already?" Alvin said.

"Yes. We've read through the books to learn what we needed." Arche said.

"And… why's Luca all quiet?" Alvin pointed at Luca. "Did something happen?"

"It'll be for the best if you didn't pry this time…" Arche said.

"Err… Okay?" Alvin said with an unsure tone.

"You wanted to visit the circus to check on something, right?" Arche reminded Alvin.

"Huh? Oh, that's right! Let's check out the Black Dream now!" Alvin said. He headed off to the direction where the circus is being held.

* * *

"The circus was really exciting… isn't it, Taro…?" Lucille spoke softly, leaving the building. Taro's head jerked momentarily before he began to speak, but soft enough for only them to hear. "Yup. That knife-throwing act was tensing! It's a real dangerous stunt! But the circus did that job well." He bent his head to look at Lucille. "So, what about you…? What did you like?"

"Umm… That's…" Lucille continued to walk, and she noticed someone… strange. Someone she was sure that she'd never seen before… until she recalled that she saw this individual bump into Kite earlier.

"That suspicious guy's heading off somewhere." Taro pointed at the individual heading towards an alleyway. "Let's check it out!"

"B-But…" Lucille said. "We are supposed to head back to Kite's home after we're done watching…"

"Don't worry about it!" Taro insisted. "One little peek isn't going to hurt us, isn't it?"

"I…I suppose not…" Lucille gave in easily.

"Alright, let's go!" Taro pointed to lead Lucille towards the alleyway. As they left, the group returned to the circus. "Alvin, what did you want to check out about the Black Dream?"

"Hmm… That's…" Alvin started to say.

"Lucille!" A voice called out through the crowd. It belonged to Kite Maxwell, the one they're looking for. "Has anyone seen a young Ralts in a pink, purple dress?" he asked passers-by. "She carries a Banette doll about nearly her size!"

"Hey, that's Kite!" Vanille said. The group headed over to the Breloom walking around. "Kite!"

Kite notices them and momentarily, he loses a slight wave of panic. "Oh, it's you. Have you seen Lucille anywhere?"

"Lucille?" Arturo said. "I'm afraid we haven't."

"This is bad… where could she have gone to…? If she wasn't at the house nor was she at the circus…" he mumbled. He resumed his attempt in getting information of Lucille's whereabouts. "Has anyone seen a young Ralts in a pink, purple dress?" he called out.

"Do you think we should help him?" Vanille said.

"…Yes." It was Luca's voice. "We should help him find Lucille. That's okay if we can do that, right?" he turned to Alvin.

"Hmn… Fine. I suppose you can find that Lucille." Alvin said. But there was a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"A Ralts?" A Pokémon conversing with Kite said. "You have seen her!?" Kite said. "I did see a small child holding a large doll heading towards… there." The Pokémon pointed its' arm at an alleyway.

"There? Lucille!" Kite dashed with incredible speed towards the alleyway. "There goes Kite…" Arturo said. "We should follow him." The group, excluding Alvin, nodded as they headed into the alleyway where Kite has entered.

"I'm asking, please. Have you seen a little girl enter this place?" Kite was talking to a rather shady group.

"And what business do you have here?" A thug spoke.

"All I'm asking for is whether you have seen a little girl in this area." Kite said.

"Let us remind you that you're in our territory." Another thug said. "We're asking you to leave nicely before your chance is up."

"And I can't leave until you tell me whether you have or not seen a little girl enter this alleyway."

A third and final thug reached for a steel pipe. "Your chance is up." He said, before charging towards Kite and swinging the weapon down at him.

"Whoa!" Kite made a back-flip, evading the weapon. He immediately spun and kicked a thug to the left.

"Hey, we have to help him!" Vanille said.

"…Hold on." Arturo said. Kite swiftly turned around and kicked another thug in his belly. He raised his leg and delivered quick kicks at the thug's face before he landed another kick, sending the thug towards the wall.

"What a persistent brat…" the remaining final thug muttered, charging towards Kite. The Breloom swiftly manoeuvre behind the thug in a blink. Kite kicked the thug upward into the air, raising his other leg and kicking him again. "Swallow Dance!" Kite swung his leg down and kicked the last thug down to the ground and effectively knocking him out. Kite landed and tapped the floor with his foot. "I'm not used to violence…" he muttered.

"Woah… Kite is incredible…" Luca mumbled.

"Those legs look like they'd kill. Literally." Arturo added.

"Hm?" Kite had noticed the group standing behind him. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We've come to help you!" Vanille said.

"Help me?" Kite said, sounding relieved. "Oh, thank you… I don't know how much I can repay you…"

"Actually, we would like to discuss things with you." Arche said. "But we should find that Lucille…"

"O-Oh, right!" Kite began searching the alleyway. "Where could Lucille be…?" The group began looking around the narrow alleyway until Arche called out loudly. "Over here!" She pointed at a drain gate at the end of the alleyway. "That makes sense if she wasn't here when we entered…" Kite mumbled. Alvin headed over and lifted up the gate. "You should stay here, Kite." Arturo said.

"I can't. I have to find Lucille." Kite told them. "Besides, I presume that you were watching earlier… I'm sure I can handle myself."

"You got a point…" Luca said. "Okay… If you want to follow us, you can."

"I'm relieved to hear that!" Kite said, climbing down the ladder. Everyone soon followed him down into the sewers.

* * *

 _ **Academia Sewers**_

"It's so dark in here…" Alvin muttered as they took a few steps from the ladder.

"Oh, Luca! Your Sorcerer's Ring!" Vanille said. "Use the Sorcerer's Ring to light up the place!"

"…Oh! I'd forgotten about the Sorcerer's Ring!" Luca exclaimed, digging through his robes to take out the accessory.

"…Sorcerer's Ring?" Alvin raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"You don't recall that Luca had taken the Sorcerer's Ring in Mt. Lavaggio?" Arturo said.

"He did?" Alvin sounded unsure.

"Ah, there!" Luca brought out something in the darkness. Soon, a small flame flickered from the Sorcerer's Ring. The group continued to advance through the sewers, now with a small light source.

"Luca, make the flame bigger!" Vanille said as they continued walking with the petite flame.

"It's not like the ring will sprout a larger flame…" Luca swished his hand to the right and back to the left… only that there was one difference when he swished the hand back. "W-Wooah!" Luca yelped at the columnar flame releasing from the Sorcerer's Ring.

"How did you do that?" Vanille wondered.

"I don't know!" Luca responded. "I just-" He turned to where he had swung his hand. There was a small sort of machinery with a glowing red orb. "Is it because of this?" Arche said.

"Hmm… So, that means the Sorcerer's Ring has reacted to this device…" Arturo concluded. "This is an intriguing tool…"

"Oh, yeah… Alvin." Luca turned around to face the Diggersby. "Can you tell me what happened at Mt. Lavaggio?"

Alvin seemed a bit nervous. "Err… Why?"

"I just want to check whether I had forgotten anything about that place." Luca told him.

Alvin started to speak nervously. "Err… That… Is because…"

"Because he doesn't remember. He was never with you guys." A voice called out loudly. The group turned around, where the voice originated from. A shady figure soon walked into the light from where the Sorcerer's Ring was illuminating.

It was… Alvin.

"You took me a really long time… but I've found you…" the Alvin from behind said. "…You fake."

 **Chapter 29 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Sealed Child (What could have happened for this child to be unable to use magic…?)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff+1 (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Upbeat Girl (Hmm... I am really good at a lot of things!(According to her))**

 **Weapon: Custom Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Gladius (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Revolver (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Graduate (A talented student who has gone through education to come this far…)**

 **Weapon: Leather Boots (Greaves)**

 **We arrived in Academia, and learnt about the effects of Indignation. Will Luca ever recover his ability to cast or will he be stricken of it forever…? Now, the group has entered the sewers under Academia, where Lucille Ostend could probably be in…**

 **And… What…!? There're two Alvins? What is this…? All will be revealed in the next chapter! …Probably?**


	33. Chapter 30:Spring of Power

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 30: Spring of Power**

"You took me a really long time… but I've found you… You fake."

Everyone was startled. There was Alvin near them… and there was Alvin in front of them. "There're two Alvins?" Vanille's head was shifting rapidly.

"A fake?" The Alvin from their group said. He shook his head as he stepped forward. "This is coming from the fake in front of me…" The group looked at the alone Alvin.

"Hey, I know myself well enough, and I can tell that you're the fake here!" The Alvin… or Alvin B in front of them said.

"There's no way that I'm an imposter…" Alvin A said. "You're the one who's posing as me!"

"You did not just say that, did you?" Alvin B said. "I'm the real one here!" He looked at the group behind Alvin A. "Right, guys!?"

"Err…" Arturo looked bewildered as he looked at the two Alvins in front of him.

"…You know what?" Alvin B said, grabbing the handle of his gunblades. "Eff this. I'm taking you out right now!" He shouted, charging suddenly towards Alvin A with his gunblades. Alvin A immediately drew out his gunblades and they clashed their weapons.

"W-Whoa!" Kite stepped back along with the group as the Alvins fought against each other.

 **Alvin? And Alvin?**

"I'm the real one!" Alvin B said.

"No, I am!" Alvin A insisted. He lowered his right gunblade and shifted it sideways to slash Alvin B. Alvin B immediately shifted his right gunblade to parry the attack. Alvin B's ears curled up and shot forward to punch Alvin A. Alvin A's ears quickly grabbed Alvin B's ears, and used the momentum to throw Alvin B to the other side of the sewer tunnel. Alvin B recovered quickly from the air, landing on his feet. He jumped back to their side, attacking Alvin A again.

"Which one is Alvin?" Vanille kept watching the duo spar. "Which is the real one…?"

"There has to be some sort of way to distinguish the real Alvin…" Arturo muttered as the group started to brainstorm ideas.

"Hmm…? Oh, Vanille! You should…" Luca brought Vanille over to his side and started to discuss with her.

"…Okay! I can do that!" Vanille nodded, listening to Luca's idea.

"You damn fake!" Alvin B shouted. "Just hurry up and die already!"

"You're the one who's the fake!" Alvin A countered.

"Ahem… Ladies and gentlemon!" Luca suddenly announced with a loud voice, prompting both Alvins to turn their heads at him and cease their battle. "Welcome to the Mercenaries Quiz Show!"

"What?" Both Alvins spoke.

"What're you doing, Luca…?" Arche pondered. Why a quiz?

"Question number one: The average price for an Apple Gel is…?" Luca said.

"We're seriously doing this?" Alvin B raised a brow.

"300 Poké!" Alvin A said.

"Hey! It's my turn to answer, you bastard!" Alvin B shouted.

"Correct!" Luca said. "Now, Question number two: When using the arte Demonic Chaos, how many Demon Fangs are released?"

"Three!" Alvin B answered.

"Correct!" Luca nodded. "Question number three: How many types are there which Ground-Type Pokémon are resistant to?"

"Two types!" Alvin A answered.

'What is Luca planning…?' Arturo started to ponder. 'Asking questions… why?'

"Correct! Now onto the final question:" Luca said. "Take the sum of the three answers, multiply it by five and divide it by three! What is the answer, rounded off to the nearest whole number?"

"Hey… what gives…!?" Alvin B looked completely startled. "Hm… The sum of the three answers… then... multiply by… five… or was it three? Then… Urrrgh! I hate calculation!" he screamed in frustration.

"Too easy." Alvin A rolled his eyes. "The answer's five-hundred and eight!"

"Correct!" Luca announced. "Vanille!"

"I got it!" Vanille charged towards the Alvins with her bowsword, particularly at the Alvin who failed to answer the last question.

"Whoa! Hey–Wai–" The Alvin being targeted shouted… Vanille changed direction suddenly and stabbed the Alvin who answered the last question. He immediately dropped both gunblades on the ground.

"Wh-What're you doing…!?" The Alvin stabbed by Vanille grunted. "I… answered correctly…"

Luca nodded as Vanille pulled out of the Alvin she stabbed. "Yes, you did…" he said. "But there's no way the real Alvin could do math like that! He's way too lazy to calculate!" And… the wound that this 'Alvin' received didn't leak red blood… it was a black and familiar substance.

"Tsk… so he was worse that I imagined…" The fake Alvin muttered. "Looks like the Gravekeeper didn't see this coming…"

Alvin fired at the fake with six shots. The fake Alvin collapses on his back and into the waters. Spinning the left gunblade casually, he places it at the hoisters along with his other gunblade. "Okay… so…" he turned to the group with a warm smile. "Good to see all of you again! …Except for the Breloom kid and Serperior. Who are they?"

"Oh, my name is Kite Maxwell." Kite introduced himself to Alvin.

"Don't you remember?" Arturo said. "I'm Arturo Carpaice."

"You are…?" Alvin scratches his chin before he laughed suddenly. "How could I forget you, Arturo! That terrible music-"

"DID YOU JUST CALL MY MUSIC TERRIBLE!?" Arturo roared.

"-I'm just joking!" Alvin laughed with a casual tone. 'Wow… he has grown a temper when it comes to insulting him.'

"I am uncertain of that with that tone you're using!" Arturo said.

They looked at the fake Alvin partially submerged in the sewage. The copy of Alvin melted into black substances which were diluted in the sewage.

"Well, looks like the Shapeshifter posing as me is handled." Alvin nodded to himself.

Kite pondered. "Shapeshifter?"

Alvin turned to Kite. "Ah, I guess you don't know about the Shadows. The Shapeshifter, well as it sounds from its' name, is a special type of Shadow capable of taking the form of a certain target." Alvin explained. "The doppelganger naturally matches the physical abilities of the target, if memory serves me right."

"That fake did some good calculation…" Luca said.

"…Yeah. I guess the Shapeshifter has to be armed with actual knowledge for it to blend in without causing any awkwardness." Alvin nodded. "But… you're terrible…" He groaned. "Using calculation just to sort me out from the fake one…"

"Ah…ha ha ha…" Luca scratched the back of his head. His head lit up in realization. "But… if that Shapeshifter took your form… does that mean…?"

"I'm pretty sure that someone had enough information to create a copy of me." Alvin said. He scratched his head. "But… who would try to make a fake of the great Alvin?"

"…Oh, Alvin!" Luca remembered something. "Did you hear any voices coming from your crystal?" Alvin nodded. "Yes. I did." He said, taking out his Amber, throwing it up and catching it routinely. "Ol' Terra's been speaking to me since Dhaos's demise."

"You called your Amber Terra?" Arturo wondered.

"No– That's the name of the current spirit dwelling in the Amber." Alvin replied.

"Ah… then, it's the same with Ligna." Arturo nodded. "The spirit dwelling in my Emerald…"

"Talking spirits…" Vanille mumbled. "Luca and I haven't heard anything yet…"

"Oh, that's right…" Arche turned to Kite. "Kite. Do you… happen to hear a voice coming from your crystal?"

"My crystal…?" Kite took out his Crystal, an Agate. "…I don't happen to hear anything coming from it at all."

"Is that so…" Arche looked at Alvin and Arturo. "The three of us can only hear our own crystals… Does that mean… that age matters in deciding a Crystal Bearer?"

"Arche? Are you alright?" Luca asked.

"I'm fine…" Arche told him. "Let's go and look for Lucille…"

"Lucille…?" Alvin said. "I'm not catching up to something, am I? Well… tell me everything while you guys explore these sewers."

* * *

"Ah… then… Luca can't use any spell at all… and you're searching for the Crystal Bearers, Arche." Alvin nodded, listening to the whole story. "Now… you guys are helping this young Kite to find Lucille and her Taro doll and you think she may have entered this place."

"Yes." Luca and Arche said.

"Geez…" Alvin sighs. "That's plenty of stuff that needs to be done here." He rubbed his neck. "But, anyway! I'm going to help once again!"

"We're grateful for your help, Alvin." Arche said.

"Well, don't worry about it!" Alvin said. "I've got your backs!"

The party continued on the restricted pathways, considering the current level of sewage streaming through the sewers. There were plenty of enemies, which ranged from large rats to surprisingly even bats, but they were no match for the party especially with Alvin in the party. He has become stronger as compared to last time. After finishing the last enemy of a group, Alvin threw both his gunblades up, catching them by his ears and sliding them at the hoisters. "…Well, how was that?" he said.

"That was really excellent." Arturo said.

"Yes! Alvin's really good now!" Vanille agreed.

Along the way, they were surprised to find treasure chests resting in the sewers, but they took its' contents anyway. So far, they have a Brass Boots for Kite, a set of gunblades named Kresnik for Alvin and an Apple Gel, which they wonder how it remained in a pristine condition lying in a chest for probably months.

* * *

After a long exploration around the sewers, they found a Remembrance Field. It wasn't green, but it was helpful for everyone to recall their current adventure. Chewing on Apple Gels, the group replenished their stamina.

"We've explored this place for some time, and we haven't come across Lucille…" Arche said.

"No… Lucille has to be somewhere here! I'm sure of it!" Kite said. He walked ahead of the group, exploring further down the path in front of them. "…Lucille!" Kite's voice echoed.

"Let's go to Kite right now!" Vanille said as the group ran into the room where Kite entered and where his voice came from.

In the large room, Lucille had her arms wrapped around her Banette doll, Taro. Kite is hugging Lucille, obviously happy to have found her. "Don't ever make me worry like that again!" Kite said. "What were you doing in a place like this!?"

"U-Um…" Lucille spoke softly. "W-We followed a strange g-guy in here…"

"A strange guy?" Kite said.

"H-He had a white mane… and… gigantic ears…" Lucille said.

Luca looked completely surprised when Lucille mentioned the ears. 'Gigantic ears!? Did she see-!?'

The whole room shook. "Wh-What was that!?" Luca exclaimed. The base of the metallic floor suddenly opened up. "Wh-Whoa!" Kite grabbed Lucille and leaped over the expanding gap. A colossal metallic creature started to ascend from a platform. The creature had a hunched-like posture, glowing yellow eyes, a cannon attached to its' left arm and it released a shady aura around it.

"That's one big-ass Shadow…" Alvin mumbled.

"Here!" Arche threw a small lens in the air. The lens shattered, releasing a pale fog that seemed to wrap around the Shadow. "…It's called a Grand Mecha! It's powerful! It's resistant to most attacks but water!"

"Water!?" Luca reached for his staff, but stopped. 'Th-That's right… I can't cast my spells…' he thought.

"If we don't have water, then we just beat the crap out of this Shadow before it kills us!" Alvin drew out his gunblades at the party braced themselves for a serious encounter against the Shadow.

 **Grand Mecha**

 **Weakness: Water**

 **Resist: Fire, Electricity, Ground, Grass, Rock, Physical**

The Grand Mecha lets out a mechanical roar, swinging its' arm at the party. Everyone immediately dispersed to avoid the attack. Kite headed to the exit of the room and placed Lucille down. "Lucille!" Kite said. "Stay here!" he turned back and returned to fight the Grand Mecha.

Leaping up, he raised his leg up before he dropped to strike the Grand Mecha's leg with an axe kick. "Eagle Dive!" Avoiding a swing in retaliation, Kite leapt higher and landed on its' shoulder. "Talon Storm!" Kite kicked the side of the Grand Mecha's face with his feet. The Grand Mecha easily shook Kite off from it. "W-Wooah!" Kite regained his balance midair and stretched his arms to the ground, pressing them before he pushed up into the air and landed on his feet. "My attacks barely did anything…!"

"Fairy Wind!" Vanille sent a gust at the Grand Mecha. It barely did any damage. "No way! It didn't work!"

Arche soon attacked. "…Rock Lance!" Arche summoned stone lances and sent them to the Grand Mecha. The lances didn't have any effect either as they broke without even denting it.

Alvin charged at the Grand Mecha along with Arturo. "Tiger Blade!" Alvin swung his gunblades down. Arturo swung his sword lute sideways. "Shining Blade!" Neither of their attacks did anything to the Grand Mecha. The Grand Mecha responded by spinning around and swinging its arms. Arturo ducked and evaded the spinning attack, but Alvin was hit by the arms.

"Gwah!" Alvin was thrown by a direct hit. Fortunately, he thrust his gunblade in the floor, digging through it to slow down his fall as he landed on his feet. He clutched his chest with an ear. "That Shadow hits hard…" he muttered. He pulled his gunblade out before he charged at the Grand Mecha again to attack just like everyone else were doing. Everyone but one.

Luca stared at the battle. At how everyone was fighting hard, although none of their attacks were effective. 'I… I have to do something!' Luca began to look around. There has to be a way to defeat the Grand Mecha. Some way to use water at it…

"Gaaah!" Alvin crashed near Luca, shocking him. He was badly wounded. Luca looked back at the rest of the party. They were all exhausted and hurt. 'At this rate, the Grand Mecha will overwhelm them!' Luca thought.

"H…H-Hey…" Alvin looked at Luca with a pained expression. "J-Just run… We got this…" He grunted. He lifted himself slowly, grabbing his gunblades lying on the ground before he advanced at the Shadow again… and was subsequently thrown by an attack and landing on the floor. With nearly the entire party defeated, the Grand Mecha turned slowly at Luca. Its' cannon started to glow before it fired a powerful blast at Luca.

"Aaaaah!" Luca jumped out of the way before the blast hit the wall, the impact sending Luca rolling. Luca tried to get up, but found that his legs refused to move. He looked up just to see the Grand Mecha's palm reaching down at him to crush him.

'Is this… I-Is this it!?' Luca's thoughts ran through his head repeatedly as the hand got closer and closer to him.

* * *

'… _Awaken!'_

'…Wha?' Luca opened his eyes slowly. The Grand Mecha appears to be frozen in time. '-Wait. Something like this happened before…' he thought. It took him time to realize that his one of his pockets is glowing. His hand reached inside and brought out the glowing object. It was his Sapphire.

' _Crystallizer. I've finally got through to you.'_ The mysterious voice spoke. It was coming from the Sapphire.

'… _Crystallizer?'_ Luca tried to say, but realized that it wasn't coming from his mouth. It was from his mind.

' _This is how we communicate.'_ The Sapphire said. _'You'll be used to it, eventually.'_

Luca continued to look at the Sapphire.

' _Do you truly wish to fall without achieving your goal?'_ The Sapphire questioned. ' _Do you wish to die without knowing the truth?'_

'…No. I'm not dying here. But I have to find out the truth… why he left.' Luca answered.

' _So, then you have something that you have to do.'_

'…Yes. There's one thing that I have to do…' Luca nodded. 'I need to help others… if I ever want to get to him… This will tell me how much I've learned through my journey… Please… lend me your strength…'

'… _Alright.'_ The voice spoke. _'Grab me, and we will begin.'_ Luca nodded, and his hand reached for the floating Sapphire.

* * *

Then, time seemed to return to normal, and the Grand Mecha's palm slammed Luca into the ground. Everyone in the room gasped as they stared at the decimated area around Luca's spot. But… the Mecha's palm started to shake, as if some force was trying to expel the palm from the ground. Then, something incredible happened.

A large jet of water burst out from beneath the Grand Mecha's palm. The jet sped around the Mecha, appearing to slash its' figure in mere seconds. The jet of water continued its' path towards a wall and impacted it. The jet dissipates into droplets, and Luca appeared from where the jet struck the wall. His feet rested sideways perfectly before he flipped forward and landed on the ground. He was completely different than just a few seconds ago…

"What the hell…?" Alvin mumbled.

"Is that really Luca…?" Arturo gasped.

"Wow…! Luca's suddenly so cool!" Vanille said.

"Unbelievable…" Kite said in awe.

"Luca… he is…" Arche could only say before surprise drowned the rest of her words.

"This power…" Luca said to himself as he noticed his new appearance. His robes has changed from blue to a clear white with aqua blue shadings around the robes. His hat also changed. It was like some sort of helmet. He could somehow tell, that his pupils were also aqua blue. He could feel incredible surges of adrenaline coursing through his body. "So… this is Crystalize…" His staff. It has changed to the shape of a shimmering trident. "Sapphire… I'll need your help from now on!" He shouted. He faced the Grand Mecha with a sheer look of newborn determination. "Everyone! Leave this to me!"

' _Now! Harness that overflowing power within you! Show your foes the true power of the Crystallizer!'_ The Sapphire spoke in Luca. Luca nodded. He raised his palm to the air. "…Tidal Wave!" he roared. Immediately, a torrent of water suddenly appeared, swirling around the Shadow.

"W-Wait-! The wave's going to hit us at this-!" Alvin didn't finish his sentence as he braced himself for the spreading Tidal Wave. The Tidal Wave seemed to hit him… but it didn't. As Alvin looked, he could see that the Tidal Wave Luca summoned was hitting the entire group… however, it didn't harm them at all. Luca waved his free hand to the right. The torrential waves soon rose up in an aquatic tornado. Floating into the air, Luca twirled his trident, sending the water above him to form an aquatic sphere. He pointed his arm at the Grand Mecha, and jets of water shot out repeatedly from the sphere, brutally assaulting the water-vulnerable Shadow. He caught the Grand Mecha managing despite the assault, aiming its' cannon at him again. 'No! I won't be able to dodge this!' he thought,

A small blue-green blast suddenly shot from somewhere and struck the Grand Mecha's arm, redirecting its' attack to a wall. Luca's eyes widened in surprise. "That's-!" He turned to the direction where the blast appeared from. He could see a cloaked figure walking away from a broken section in the wall. He returned his attention quickly at the Grand Mecha, charging his trident. _'Finish it!'_ the Sapphire spoke.

"Witness my newfound strength! Fall before the cerulean waves!" Luca threw his trident down at the Grand Mecha. "Tidal Hazard!" The trident pierced through the Grand Mecha in a blue glow, leaving a gaping hole. The Grand Mecha disintegrates into a black fog which soon disappeared from sight.

The room was showered with a light rain from the previous attack as everyone looked at Luca descending on the floor. A light blue glow emitted from him, blinding the entire room. When the glow faded, Luca stood there with his regular blue robes and hat. But… he felt dizzy. He felt the whole world blacking out in front of him as he felt the floor.

"Luca!" Everyone's voice echoed.

 **Chapter 30 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **(Unknown)**

 **And so… this chapter ends with once again… an unconscious Luca. Feel free to guess what chapter is coming next. Still, he has awakened to an incredible power. One power strong enough to change plenty of roads…**

 **Skit: The fake…**

 **Alvin: (annoyed) "…"**

 **Arturo: "Is something the matter, Alvin?"**

 **Alvin: "Geez… that fake dared…"**

 **Arturo: (confused) "Hmm?"**

 **Alvin: "That fake dared to pose as me? Me? The great mercenary, the Alvin!?"**

 **Arturo: (normal) "So… that is why you're bothered… The fake has already been handled."**

 **Alvin: (closes eyes) "…Yeah. The fake's gone, so I don't need to be bothered by it any longer…"**

 **Skit: The young learners**

 **Luca: "You're… fifteen, right?"**

 **Kite: "Yes."**

 **Luca: "Wow… you're impressive… you managed to ace school at such a young age…"**

 **Kite: (embarrassed) "It's not something to be proud of… I still have yet to learn more about the entire world…" (normal) "Although… haven't we met before?"**

 **Luca: (surprised) "We did?"**

 **Kite: "I'm sure… That… Never mind."**

 **Luca: "We should continue looking for Lucille, right?"**

 **Kite: (determined) "Yes. We should."**


	34. Chapter 31:New Day, New Life

**Tales of Faith**

 **Past Arc – Destiny**

 **Chapter 31: New Day, New Life**

 _It has been about half a year… since Ms. Colette found me…_

 _And I'm adapting… to my new lifestyle…_

 _Ms. Colette brought me to this place called a 'school'… and she enrolled me as a… 'student'… At first, I didn't get it… but after about two weeks from the… hmm… school term… I am now used to this life… It turns out that Ms. Colette is teaching my class as well… It's quite noisy, but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Especially Ms. Colette. Although… some of the students appeared… I think the word was 'wary', towards me. Today, Ms. Colette talked about the World Regeneration._

 _It was about one long trial which the Chosen; that's her, journeys around the world to find these people called Crystal Bearers… Then, the Chosen will also undergo trials through their journey to prove their strength to change the declining world… Well, I don't really believe that the world is declining._

 _The school bell rang, and Ms. Colette dismissed the students after handing out work for us to do for the day._

" _Ms. Colette!" I said. "That was a great lesson!"_

" _You don't have to call me "Ms."." Ms. Colette told me._

" _But, Ms. Colette!" I said to her. "I'm only used to calling you by that!"_

" _I guess I did save you…" Ms. Colette said, reaching to adjust my collar. I didn't realize that my uniform looked quite messy. I felt something weird in my mind as I adjusted my uniform._

" _Yo, Rose!"_

 _An Infernape dressed similarly like I am walked up to me, his bag slung on his shoulder._

" _Oh, hey, Reiga." I said._

" _Reiga, did you understand the problem today?" Ms. Colette asked._

" _Sure I did." Reiga answered, turning his face to face Ms. Colette. He turned back to face me. "How about we hang out for a while before returning to the dorms?"_

" _Alright." I nodded and faced Ms. Colette. "We're going now, Ms. Colette." I told her._

" _I'll be seeing you later." Ms. Colette nodded as Reiga brought me out of the classroom._

* * *

" _Still…" Reiga said. "To think that our teacher's staying at the same dorm as us… The system's weird, huh?" He was at the top of the jungle gym, balancing on his hands._

" _I don't think it's weird." I told him while I was balancing on the horizontal bar._

" _Like how your name is more feminine than masculine?"_

 _Once again, I felt that weird feeling when I adjusted my uniform in front of Ms. Colette. "M-My name is not feminine!"_

 _Reiga soon pushed himself off from the jungle gym, flipping forward and landing on his feet. "Hm? Is that LaVeda over here?" he pointed afar from where we were. There is an Ampharos brawling against plenty of students._

"… _Yeah, it is." I nodded, jumping off the horizontal bar._

" _A real troublemaker, huh?" Reiga agreed with me. "Getting into fights in about every day he comes to school."_

" _I don't think it's bad, though." I said._

" _Well, we can just leave LaVeda to his fight." Reiga looks away from the scene. "Let's head back home. I'll probably ask him how the fight went… and then I have to patch him up if necessary…"_

" _Yeah." I agreed as the both of us headed back to the dormitory we're staying in._

* * *

… _As usual, the quaint atmosphere of the dormitory is the same as Reiga and I entered the building. Although, there was one exception this time. An unfamiliar Piplup is sitting in the lounge couch, blowing on a cup of coffee._

"… _Hello!" The Piplup said, noticing me and Reiga. "My name is Duke fal Isberg. I'll be staying here for a while."_

" _Oh…" Reiga said. "I remember… You're that kid who'll be staying here… because of an accident?"_

" _Yeah…" Duke said. "My mother passed away due to that accident." He looked away for a while before he faced me and Reiga. "I'll try to stay out of everyone's way, so don't mind me." He returned to looking at the cup of steaming coffee, sipping it slowly._

" _So… we're back here." Reiga said as he and I walked up to the second floor, where Reiga's room is along with several other students'. We could hear an unholy sound coming from one of the rooms. "Carpaice's as bad as ever." Reiga sighed, covering his ears. "I'm heading back to my room. See ya." With his ears still covered, Reiga twisted the door's handle with his elbows and headed into his room. I headed up to the third floor, where I am staying at, and the floor below where Ms. Colette stayed in the dormitory._

 _Lying down on the bed, I stared at the brown ceiling. 'A regular life…' I raised my hand at the ceiling and I flicked my hand. A clear longsword materialized above me. I stared at it for a while before I swished my hand to the right. The sword changed forms to an axe. I stared at that before I flicked my hand. The axe vanishes from my sight._

 _I gave a soft sigh as I continued to stare at the ceiling._

 _There's no way I had a regular life if I could somehow summon weapons out of thin air._

… _Well, at least I thought so._

 **Chapter 31 End**

* * *

 **And thus begins another section of the Past Arc, Destiny. This arc focuses on how Rose eventually finds out his own identity and his way to carve a path to destiny. No complaints on how his name sounds. Damn. Now I feel like listening to Tales of Destiny OST.**


	35. Chapter 32:Eirini, the Peaceful Village

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Elazul Side**

 **Chapter 32: Eirini, the Peaceful Village**

"That's all for today, folks!"

The travelling circus, the Black Dream, had packed up after their final performance in Academia. After every spectator has left the circus tent, the performers had begun to pack up to move to another area to hold their circus.

A trio consisting of a Krokorok, a Bisharp and a Weavile were chatting with one another. "This'll keep the place running for two more months." The Weavile said, holding a set of documents.

"Yeah, you did a good job there, Dice." The Bisharp says to the Krokorok. "The spectators were pleased with your balloon-shaping performance."

"Flattering me, you two are…" Dice says, looking at the gloves he wore so he wouldn't burst any balloons. "Greater work, Steel and Mistress did."

"We didn't do that much as compared to you." Steel said.

"I would be complaining if you keep calling me "Mistress" ever since you evolved… But I kind of like it, Dice." Mellissa said. "So… how did it go in the sewers?" The Weavile turned her head to look at a Noivern resting his back at a carriage with his wings folded sullenly. "…None of your business." He said coldly.

"Don't say something like that." Mellissa chuckled. "You wouldn't have gone down there without our help."

"…" Elazul said nothing and turned his head away.

"…Did you find… _that_ object?"

"…Yes." Elazul said. "Like you said, it was just a fragment. But, like what you three found out based on your reconnaissance, it's part of something that'll help me find my destination." He brought out something from his mantle. It appeared to be a piece of some sort of ornament.

"Did you find out anything about its' location?" Mellissa said.

"…How should I know?" Elazul rolled his eyes. "I asked you to find information on how to get there."

"Heheh…" The Weavile chuckled, handing over a different set of documents to Elazul. "We are assigned by the mysterious masked knight to support you, after all."

"That knight…" Elazul muttered while he hid the documents behind his mantle, but it was loud enough for the Black Wings to hear. "She's…"

"She?" Steel said.

"…" Elazul just glared at him.

"…I shouldn't have asked..." Steel sighed.

"It was true, then… you must have seen that knight's face before." Mellissa concluded.

"You're telling me you didn't see the knight helmetless?" Elazul said.

"No." The three replied.

"…Good." He looked away.

"As expected from our client." Mellissa placed a hand on her face. She looked at Elazul again. "But, that makes it more interesting to assist you."

"…I'll never understand thieves." Elazul muttered under his breath. He stepped away from the carriage, walking away from the group.

"Going already?" The Dark Wings said.

Elazul didn't reply while he walked further away from the trio.

"Where're you going next?" Steel said.

Once again, Elazul didn't reply as he continued to walk.

"Do next, what do you plan to?" Dice said.

Elazul stopped briefly. "…Find the other pieces of the ornament." He spoke before he resumed walking, and out of the Dark Wings' sight.

Mellissa casually placed her hands behind her back. "Looks like we've got business to do, Steel, Dice." She said.

* * *

Leaving Academia, Elazul walked on the dirt path towards a crossroad. One path was where he came from, and the other led to the Kingdom of Namdiascar. It is a very long road, though. But, based on the current information he has now, there was supposed to be another fragment of the ornament along this path.

"Kusu?" Fennikusu is perched on his shoulder like usual, tilting its' head.

"…It's nothing." Elazul told the robin. He proceeded to head right, entering a forest. Once again, he didn't feel like flying this time either. It must be because of his time at the guild. He had to walk during an assignment, and he got used to it. He groaned while he recalled the guild. He didn't want to see Ad Libitum.

This journey is considerably long, and it is getting late. He did leave Academia at evening, though. It wouldn't hurt to pitch camp now. He found a comfortable spot to rest for tomorrow. He set up a fire quickly and prepared dinner. Well, about four attempts he had to make a simple dish consisting of rice and vegetables. Meanwhile, Fennikusu is happily swallowing seeds from a small packet. Eventually, Fennikusu is satisfied and flew up to land on a branch on the tree behind Elazul before it slept.

Blowing the fire out, Elazul laid his back on the tree and shut his eyes, hoping to get some sleep. It easily came to him. However, even for his senses, Elazul failed to detect a presence far from him. A black-coated figure stared from afar. "They all bugged me to head over to him… Fine. I suppose I can toy with him for a while..." The black-coated figure waved a hand.

* * *

" _Ela!"_

"… _Nnn… Just five more minutes…"_

"… _ELA! Wake up!"_

" _Just… go to sleep, Allen-Huh…?"_

 _Elazul opened his eyes groggily. Only now did he realize that there was a weight on his chest. His vision was initially blurry, seeing a blue and white snake-like creature on him. When his vision fully adjusted, he felt like he has lost all color on his face._

" _A-Allen!?" Elazul exclaimed. His deceased brother… is on him, no longer deceased._

" _Ela, you're finally awake! How long are you going to sleep here?" Allen said, hopping off Elazul's chest._

 _Elazul shook his head mentally. 'No… Allen is dead…' Elazul thought. 'This… is just a dream…' He made a quick slash on his cheek with his claw. He could feel some pain from that cut. He could feel pain. '…Is this a dream…?' He stared at his younger brother. For some reason, when he blinked, his younger brother is no longer a Dratini, but a Dragonair._

" _Ela, what's wrong?" Allen spoke with a mature voice. "You're acting really strange…"_

"…" _Elazul stared at Allen, then suddenly embraced his younger brother in a hug. "E-Elazul!?" Allen spoke in surprise._

"… _You're here…" Elazul mumbled. "You're here… Don't worry… I won't make the same mistake again…"_

" _What's wrong, Ela?" Allen asked._

 _Elazul released him from the hug. "It's nothing." He said in an assuring tone. He took a look around. Everything was about white. It was all white. Like a colorless land. There were some features like trees and a stream, though. "What are you waiting for?" Allen called out. Somehow, he is already very far away from Elazul. "Come on, Ela!"_

" _Hey, wait! Don't go too far from me!" Elazul shouted while walking. Then, he noticed something. The scenery has become black from behind Allen. It was a wave of darkness. "No…!" Elazul's voice shook before he shouted. "Run!"_

 _Yet, Allen took no signs of noticing it. His back is facing the incoming darkness. "Ela? What is it?" he asked._

" _Just listen to me and run!" Elazul shouted. He advanced quickly towards his younger brother, fear of losing him again. Then, Allen suddenly appeared to be terrified. But he didn't turn behind, he appeared to be frightened by what is in front of him._

" _G-Get away…! D-Don't come near me!" The young Dragonair spoke in a terrified tone._

" _What…!?" Elazul turned back. There was nothing behind him. He turned back to Allen. "Don't worry! I won't let-" He stopped mid-sentence when his wing reached for Allen. "-WHAT THE-!?" His wing is in a complete shade of pitch-black. And by mere coincidence when he noticed that, the colorless floor produced a reflection. A reflection of himself, which he could see clearly what he is. He had a pitch-black body with no defining features other than glowing red eyes. There isn't anything from his original body._

" _N-No!" He continued walking, trying to reach out for his younger brother. However, the distance remains unchanged. The distance between Allen and the wave of darkness, however, continued to shrank as the two got closer and closer. "Just stay close to me!"_

 _Allen shook his head. "N-No! You… You monster! Get away from me!"_

 _Elazul immediately froze as the sentence echoed inside him. He couldn't move a muscle if he wanted to. He just watched as the wave of darkness swallowed up everything in its' path… It swallowed Allen up right in front of his eyes. Then, he finally snapped from his shock._

* * *

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Elazul swung his claw sharply in front of him. He could see three large black waves expel from his claw. The waves travelled a distance, tearing down the trees in front of it. Elazul breathed deeply, his body sweating all over. It was a nightmare… just like he thought. "Kusu…?" Fennikusu landed beside him, looking worried. It had been awakened by Elazul's shout. Elazul stared in front of him, where the tree in front of him, no, the entire line was sliced into four pieces. He looked back at his shadowy claw. He is the one who did such destruction? He flicked it and the shadowy aura faded from his wing. 'Wh…Wh-What the hell was that…?' he thought, looking back at the fallen trees.

He heard a branch snap, and the gasp of someone.

Elazul's left wing grabbed his spear from his left and he turned around swiftly and threw his spear at the direction of the gasp… only to realize something: his spear is resting on his right. 'Then, what did I-?' Elazul looked ahead of him and advanced swiftly to where he threw that 'object' which felt like a spear. There was no one at that spot. When he arrived at where the spear had pierced through a tree log, he stared at what he had thrown. It's a spear… only that it was completely pitch-black. It's as if this weapon is made from the essence of Shadows.

"…" Elazul continued to stare at the shadowy form of a spear before the weapon vanished into thin air. He looked at his wing again, and back at the hole in the log. "…I have to stop using this power…" Elazul said to himself. "I just have to stop… But I can't stop these urges… It's like my body has a mind of its' own." He quickly headed back to his spot and tried to sleep through the night.

* * *

The next morning, Elazul woke Fennikusu up before he left the site and headed on the dirt path.

"Midnight Cave…" He read at a signboard after an hour of walking. The path ahead of him split. One leads him to the Kingdom of Namdiascar, and the other lead to said cave. His head turned to look at Midnight Cave momentarily. He spotted a small Mienfoo looking around the cave's mouth… and he felt something odd about that child. No, it was… the same feeling of a Shadow… but at the same time, it didn't feel like a Shadow at all. The child Mienfoo hurried into Midnight Cave. Elazul paused as he stared at the cave. '…That child… Could that child be…?' He found himself heading into the cave, to find that Mienfoo child.

Midnight Cave is extremely dark, there wasn't a single crack that allowed light from inside the cave. It didn't bother Elazul though, he's used to dark areas. For that child, however, he questioned why the child entered Midnight Cave for no reason. Well, it would be wrong to immediately assume that the child entered this cave for no reason. For every action, there is a reason behind it.

Through the darkness, he detected… Shadows. It'd be no problem for him. Elazul readied a defensive stance. Fennikusu struggled to look through the darkness, so it flew up to the ceiling above Elazul and remained there.

"Haaah!" Elazul dashed forward and stabbed an appearing Shadow. He immediately pulled out before moving to another Shadow. "Impaling Fall!" He knocked the Shadow up with the pole before he soared up and sent the Shadow down by stabbing it. Another Shadow appeared near him and attacked. Thankfully, Elazul managed to parry the attack before he countered with an arte. "Lone Dragon Charge!" Elazul struck the Shadow with the pole once before he rammed into it, throwing it away with a blast of a dragon's head.

He turned around. There are more Shadows around him in such a short period. He quickly took the number down in no time. Yet, the Shadows didn't decrease. In fact, there were way more Shadows now from the start of the battle. 'The more I defeat, more seems to come to make up for the lost amount.' Elazul thought. He turned around to knock a Shadow into the air. "Ravaging hell! Chaotic Blast!" Elazul shouted, thrusting his spear at the airborne target in a spiral of darkness. He turned around saw a Shadow attacking him. He grunted in pain as the Shadow clawed his back.

"Kusu! Kusu!" Fennikusu dove to peck a Shadow on the head. It didn't really do anything. The Shadow swung its' head and Fennikusu immediately retreated to above Elazul.

The numbers continued to increase as the battle went on, and Elazul's stamina decreased gradually as well. As much as he hated to admit it, facing a lot of Shadows is now taking a toll on his stamina. If this keeps up, he knows that he'd be done for. And… that urge struck with more force each time. 'No…! I have to stop it…!' He sweated as his wing continuously ached in pain. He recalled what happened last night and the other days he is forced to use that 'power'.

'I have… to fight it…!' he groaned again as each forceful pulse tried to make his brain work on its' own. The Shadows continued with their relentless assault, not even giving Elazul breathing room as attack by attack landed on him.

'I won't last long… at this rate…!' Elazul groaned, clutching a bleeding wound on his chest. He is being overwhelmed. He hated it. He couldn't fall here. He still has his own journey to complete. The forceful throbbing by then, was too much for him to endure. Elazul let out a roar as shadowy energy burst out of him, smashing Shadow by Shadow into nothing. The energy intensified and destroyed all of the Shadows around Elazul. He could sense it. The Shadows are gone from the cave… and so was his remaining energy.

"Urgh…" Elazul collapsed on one knee. "Th-They were tougher than I thought…" He wheezed. He'll never get used to this at all. So much energy was released this time… He couldn't take it. Elazul soon collapsed onto the floor. Fennikusu immediately landed beside its' owner, trying to wake hum up.

"Kusu!" Fennikusu's chirps became softer as Elazul slipped into unconsciousness. "Ku! Kusu! Ku! Ku! Ku! K…"

* * *

"…Ngh…"

Clutching his head, Elazul got up slowly. He appeared to be resting on a bed. He's in a cozy room. "What the…?" He mumbled. "Before I passed out… I was in that cave…" Elazul noticed that most of his torso and wings are covered in white bandages. He remembered plenty of injuries, too. "Kusu~!" Fennikusu is resting on a drawer, elated to see its' owner alright.

The wooden door of the room creaked open, and an Archeops entered. It, or she by the way her build was, headed over to the bed. "Are you alright?" She asked.

Elazul didn't say anything, looking away.

"You're a quiet one, aren't you?" Archeops said.

Elazul still didn't say anything.

Archeops sighed. "Do you at least have a name?"

Once again, Elazul didn't answer her question. However, Fennikusu took the liberty of introducing its' owner. It couldn't speak actual words, but it found a way. Dipping a foot into a plate of water, Fennikusu patted its' foot on the napkin it had been on at specific areas.`After a while of routinely heading to the plate and napkin, Fennikusu formed something on the napkin. The small robin directed a wing at the napkin and pointed at Elazul.

"So… your name is Elazul." Archeops nodded.

"…Yes." Elazul finally spoke.

"I am Marian." Archeops said. "I'm a resident of Eirini."

"Eirini?" Elazul said. He had never heard of such a place before.

"I'm certain that the villagers will welcome you." Marian said. "They did find you in the caves and brought you here."

Elazul stared at Marian. He gave a silent sigh and nodded. Getting off from the bed, Elazul put on a shirt from the room's dresser before he headed out of the room.

 **Eirini, the Peaceful Village**

When he got out of the house, Elazul looked around the village. It looked quite peaceful. The villagers walked on the grassy land, chatting with one another. Children frolic around the buildings, playing tag or other games. Although… Elazul sensed that each and every one of the villagers… they felt different than normal Pokémon. He didn't know whether he's still tired or not, but he couldn't shake off that feeling.

He observed the entire village while he's out of the house. Eirini is surrounded by a large mountain range. It looks like regular Pokémon won't be able to scale this mountain to find the village. There's a cave mouth at the northern side of the village. That's probably where they came from and brought him to the village. The villagers were very friendly towards him. Apart from what they said, Elazul kept hearing from every villager that they feel that they will get along with him because they are the same. Like, what do they mean by 'same'? None of the villagers are Dragon-Type Pokémon.

Elazul stopped by at a fountain, staring at his own reflection. His eyes shifted down to his left wing, staring at it silently before he looked back at his reflection. The constant ripples in the water continuously blurred the reflection.

"Hmm?" Elazul looked at his right. A Mienfoo is beside him, or more specifically, the young Mienfoo he saw earlier. "Hello, mister. How do you like the village?" The Mienfoo speaks.

Elazul didn't reply as he turned his head to look back at his reflection.

"Mister, it's not nice to ignore others, you know." Mienfoo said.

Elazul said nothing.

"What's your name, mister?"

Elazul didn't reply.

"Call me Io." Mienfoo introduced himself.

Elazul turned his head to meet Io. "…What do you want… Io?" he grumbled.

"You're the new guy around here, so I thought I'd get to know you, you know?" Io said.

Elazul looked away. "You shouldn't bother with someone like me. I'm bad news, got it?"

"I sure did." Io replied. "But I don't care."

"Go back to your parents, right now."

"…" Io looked down. "I… don't have a family…"

Elazul didn't say anything.

"But then, you're one of us, after all." Io said. "This place is a safe haven for us to live."

'One of us, again…' Elazul thought.

"But, if you want to go, then no one's stopping you." Io said before leaving. Elazul looked at his reflection before he scowled and he headed to Marian's house. The Archeops placed a plate along with several other dishes on a wooden table. "You're back. Here. Have some food." Marian said. Elazul looked at her. For some reason, he felt his heart warming up to her. They just met for about a few minutes, and he could feel something that makes him want to interact with her. "Alright." Elazul said, taking a seat. At least he isn't cooking this time. He munched on the food, and sped up slowly until his mouth was stuffed with food.

"Don't eat so fast. You'll choke." Marian said. That triggered a memory. Elazul remembered saying those exact words at his brother. He couldn't help it; the food is delicious. Not that he'd admit it. In a matter of minutes, Elazul finished most of the food. He nodded to himself before he headed into the room where he had been resting in before he woke up. Fennikusu has already fallen asleep, snuggled in a small nest. Elazul headed over to the bed, lying down on it. He simply closed his eyes, falling asleep easier than he ever had in his life.

 **Chapter 32 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Wanderer**

 **Weapon: Shell Splitter (Spears)**

 **Now, Elazul has a fragment of a 'special' ornament and he is now at Eirini. But, what does the villagers mean by calling him 'one of them'? Could you guess?**


	36. Chapter 33:The Hybrids' Village

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Elazul Side**

 **Chapter 33: The Hybrids' Village**

" _What's wrong? I thought you could do better than that."_

" _Huff… Huff…"_

" _You're a failure… You can't even fight without a reason…"_

" _Huff…"_

" _Don't worry… I'll ease that suffering…"_

"… _Huf-"_

* * *

Elazul's eyes opened wide. "…Haah…Haah…" he clutched his chest. "…Just a dream…" He sighed, soon noticing someone near him. "Are you alright?" It was Marian. She is standing beside the bed.

"...I'm fine…" He said.

"If you say so… Get up, breakfast is ready." Marian headed out of the room. Elazul looked at Fennikusu, who is already awake. "Kusu?" Fennikusu chirped. Elazul shook his head. "It's nothing. Let's go." He got out of the bed and headed into the dining room. A warm and delicious scent wafts around the room, emanating from a plate with steaming eggs and sausages. Marian had already taken a seat, eating her breakfast. Elazul took the seat opposite of her, blowing on the eggs before taking a piece and putting it in his maw.

"How is it?" Marian said.

Elazul closed his eyes. "Pretty good."

"I'm glad you like it." Marian nodded her head.

Elazul gasped, getting out of his seat and turning away. "D-Don't be ridiculous!" he said. "I only said it's good! I didn't say that I liked it!"

"Well, then… If you say so…" Marian rolled her eyes. She looked at Elazul. "Do you plan to stay here?"

"Why would you think that?" Elazul turned his head and raised a 'brow'.

"Io kept talking about you." Marian said.

"That Mienfoo kid, huh?"

"You shouldn't think too badly of Io just because he's a child." Marian told him. "If you take a bit more time to know him better, you'll get along well, I'd say."

"Whatever." Elazul sat down and resumed eating his breakfast.

After he had finished eating, Elazul headed out of Marian's house. The village had the same atmosphere of peace and harmony. It looked rowdier than it was yesterday, though in Elazul's perspective. Elazul happened to feel someone bump into him. He looked down to see Io. "Sorry for bumping into you!" Io said.

Elazul just looked away from him, not responding.

"Oi, c'mon. Can't you say something? Anything?" Io asked.

"Still as noisy and immature as ever." Elazul said.

"That's something you're not supposed to say when you forgive someone!" Io shouted.

"Whatever." Elazul looked away. Io tapped his foot, looking left and right once before he looked at Elazul. "Say… you planning to check the skies tonight?" Elazul looked up when Io asked that. Above them, the sky is completely covered with masses of clouds even in broad daylight, or it is supposed to be daylight. But it's still bright enough to see anything in Eirini.

"Why?" Elazul said.

"It's very rare for the clouds over here to disperse, you know?" Io said. "So, we villagers want to look at the clear skies then and now. And tonight's one of those moments where we can see the clear night sky and wonder what the ou-"

Io suddenly stopped speaking.

"…What." Elazul said.

"It's nothing." Io said. "As I was saying… we get to see the clear night sky tonight! Everyone's been eager for this!"

"Eager, huh?" Elazul said silently.

"Well? You going to look at the clear sky tonight?" Io asked. "Well? Weeeeeeeelll?"

"…Fine. I'll do it." Elazul sighed in defeat. "I'll go and look at the clear sky tonight."

"Yes! I knew you would!" Io jumped in joy.

'…Why am I always surrounded by people who can't mind their own business and practically forces me into their antics?' Elazul thought to himself.

* * *

"Well?"

Elazul asked with folded wings at the village's square. It had been packed with villagers in mere minutes before night. Marian and Io were part of the group that had gathered to gaze at the skies.

"When are those clouds gonna clear?" Elazul said.

"Almost." Marian said. "Be patient."

"You don't need to tell me that." Elazul rolled his eyes.

"Kusu?" Fennikusu continued to stare at the clouds, perched on its owner's shoulder like usual.

"The clouds are dispersing!" One villager said aloud. Everyone began to look up as the clouds began to disperse, revealing a clear dark sky with bright stars. Moonlight bathed around Eirini, on the villagers as they stared in awe of the night skies.

"How I've longed to see this sky for a long time…" A villager said.

"Yes, it's been too long since we saw the skies!" Another villager piped in.

"This is like a rare chance for us to see the clear skies… at about three months, I guess?" Yet another villager said.

The entire square is now surrounded by continuous chatter about the night skies. Meanwhile, Elazul wondered why they treat looking at the skies as such a big deal when they could just pass through Midnight Cave, but he was smart enough not to voice that out loud. Until now.

"If you can't see the skies from here with those clouds, why don't you all just go outside and take a look?"

Immediately, the whole place died of talk. All of the villagers, sans Marian and Io, all stared at Elazul like he was crazy. "What?" Elazul said. "Don't you go out of the cave?" Once again, the villagers were quiet while Io headed to Marian. "He's done it…" He whispered.

"Are you kidding?" One villager finally spoke. "Why would we go out to that foul place?"

"When they see us, we're going to suffer that same 'treatment' they had given us!" Another villager shouted.

"The outside world is too dangerous for us! That's why we don't ever pass through the caves the moment we had entered through it!"

"The outside world is filled with discrimination! Those bastards won't stop!"

Soon, the atmosphere has tensed as angry shouts began to drown the once-calm emotions of the villagers. Elazul looked at them weirdly. 'Haven't they even gone outside at all?' Elazul thought. 'Sure, there are Shadows inhabiting Midnight Cave, but did they even try to get to the other side of the cave?' In a matter of minutes, the villagers headed out of the square angrily, most likely hitting the hay. The only three that remained in the square are Io, Elazul and Marian.

Io sighed deeply. "For some reason, I feel so tired…" He mumbled. "Well, I should go to bed now…" Io soon left the square. Marian faced Elazul. "What's up with everyone?" Elazul said.

Marian sighed. She couldn't find herself to continue looking at Elazul before she turned away. "I'm heading back." She said before she left the square. Elazul stood by in the square with only Fennikusu as his company. He looked at the skies again, it brought up a memory…

* * *

" _Take a look at this, Elazul!"_

 _Luca tip-toed on his feet, struggling to look at the observatory's telescope. He had brought Elazul here at the top floor of the guild for his star-gazing. Elazul reluctantly headed to Luca's side as the green frog kept motioning him to come closer._

" _What? What do you want me to look at?" Elazul said monotonously._

" _Here! Look at how all the stars align now! Quickly!" Luca moved away from the telescope and tugged Elazul's wing, bringing him to look through the telescope. Elazul stared at the stars through the telescope. "I don't see anything."_

" _Look at the stars! They are in a certain shape!" Luca said excitedly. Elazul groaned as he continued to look. "…Oh, those stars are nearly shaped like me." Elazul said._

" _I know, right!?" Luca smiled. "It's cool! Come on! Say it! Saaaaaaaaay iiiiiiiiiiit!"_

 _Elazul continued to stare at the formation of the stars before he said, "…It's cool."_

* * *

Elazul grumbled when he recalled that memory. It is all about his friend again. But then, he did see Luca a few days ago, and that was in the sewers. Come to think of it, what was Luca doing there? 'Thinking about it is too much time' Elazul thought. 'I'd better head back.' He headed to Marian's house to sleep.

* * *

Elazul took a look at himself in a mirror the following morning after a shower. He slowly took off the last remaining bandage on himself and checked for any wounds that were still healing. There weren't any wounds left. Nodding silently and putting on his clothes, Elazul headed out of the room. He noticed Marian pacing around left and right in the dining room.

"That's weird…" He heard Marian mutter.

"…What is?" Elazul said.

"I haven't seen Io around the village starting this morning." Marian told him.

"!"

Marian folded her wings. "If he's not in the village, he is most likely in Midnight Cave for now. I'm concerned about Io. Could you find him in Midnight Cave?"

"Why me?" Elazul said.

"Because Io has spent a lot of time with you ever since you came here." Marian answered.

"Hey, that's not my problem. He kept bugging me for the past two days." Elazul said.

"Just look for him." Marian said. Elazul sighed. "Fine." He faced Fennikusu. "Stay." He said. The robin responded with a small whimper as it watched its' owner leave the house.

Elazul headed into Midnight Cave, searching the area near the village's entrance first. 'That kid couldn't have gone far…' he thought as he continued on his search. So far, he hasn't met any Shadows yet, but he'd still destroy them in battle if he encountered one. After a long period of searching…

"Ah! Found it!" It was Io's voice.

Elazul followed that only echo easily, looking from behind a wall. From where he stood, Io is apparently digging through the ground some time ago before he had found what he wanted to find. "Okay… I just gotta bring this to Marian… and ask her what it is… I'm pretty sure she'd know. Yup. She'd definitely know." He remained in blissful speaking, not noticing something appearing behind him. And Elazul noticed it.

"Get down!" Elazul shouted, grabbing his spear and he rushed to the Shadow.

"Hu-?" Io looked back and he saw the Shadow behind him. But he didn't appear to be frightened, he appeared to be annoyed. Io thrust a palm at the Shadow. "Begone!" He shouted as the Shadow is suddenly impaled by a large shadowy blade. As the Shadow disintegrated into nothingness, Elazul could see Io clearly. His arm is completely pitch-black and radiating a shadowy aura. Io closed his eyes, and his arm returned to normal. "…Oh." He noticed that there was someone in front of him other than the Shadow.

"Y-You're… You…!" Elazul spoke with a dumbfounded expression. "You…?"

"Ah… looks like you found out now…" Io sighed.

"What are you…!? How are you like…!?" Elazul continued on with his rambling.

"I'm a Hybrid." Io said. "Hybrids are almost like normal Pokémon. But… as you can see… we have unnatural blood. It's like Pokémon blood, but it's also Shadow blood. So… in other words, we're part- Pokémon, part-Shadow. Everyone treated us like outcasts. Just because they know we have Shadow blood, they fear that we'll lose control and create havoc. Well… after we were chased out from the townspeople, we retreated into the mountains in Midnight Cave. That's where we found a secluded area to build a village to live in. We made a sort of illusive barricade as well, such that only Hybrids can see it and other Pokémon can't see it neither can they pass through it."

"Then… I'm…" Elazul managed to calm himself and spoke slowly.

"Yup. You're a Hybrid. And so is everyone else." Io said.

'Is this why Marian took care of me?' Elazul thought, but Io continued. "…But Marian. She's the only non-Hybrid villager here. To tell the truth, we Hybrids found Marian about a year ago. She didn't seem to remember who she was, so we took her under our care, treated her like she is a regular villager 'like' us. But… she also found out about us. We thought that we'd be in trouble if the outside world finds this village, but she didn't want to leave. She insisted on staying here. Man, I am impressed. She isn't a Hybrid, and she's treating us like we're normal villagers. Like the time before anyone found out about our part-Shadow blood."

Elazul didn't say anything.

"Hello? Earth to Elazul…" Io waved his hand.

"…Can you really stand it?"

"Eh?" Io looked confused.

"How can you stand living in one place for your entire life!" Elazul sounded furious. "You all keep thinking that the outside world is dangerous and never even bother to get out of this place and explore this world! Just staying in this place is poisoning you!"

Io looked down. "Th-That is…"

Elazul grumbled. "That is why, huh? Why you all think that the outside world is dangerous? Forget it, I don't even want to hear an answer to this." He stormed off from the place while Io headed back behind him.

* * *

 **Eirini, the Hybrids' Village**

Almost immediately after he entered Eirini from Midnight Cave, Elazul made his way to Marian's house. That explains way too many things. Why most of Ad Libitum refused to come near him, excluding Luca. He was sure that Luca didn't know of his Hybrid blood. When Marian said that him and Io will get along if he knows the kid more. She must have known that he is a Hybrid.

Marian noticed Elazul heading to her house from the window and she headed to open the door. "Ah, you are bac-" Marian said.

"You knew, didn't you?" Elazul said.

Marian stopped speaking.

"You knew that I am a Hybrid, didn't you? Tell me!"

"…I see you found out in the end." Marian said after a while.

"So, that's why you only decided to take care of me!? Just because I'm a Hybrid like the rest of the villagers!?" Elazul shouted.

"Did you think it was like that!?" It was Marian's turn to shout. "You were injured, for Arceus' sake! And the villagers were unsure that even knowing that you're a Hybrid, they were wary of taking you in because you're a Dragon-Type Pokémon! But I wasn't! I didn't believe that Dragon-Types are dangerous at all!"

Elazul's angered face disappeared and was replaced with a surprised look. "…You helped me? And it's not because I'm a Hybrid?"

"What else did you expect!?" Marian glared at him. But her expression didn't last long as she looked down. "…Sorry. I guess I went too far."

"…No, it's all right. I'm the one who went too far." Elazul said.

"No, I am." Marian insisted.

"I am." Elazul countered.

And from the remainder of almost five minutes from now, Elazul and Marian were trying to take fault, continuously contradicting each other. Eventually, the two stopped taking the blame, awkward silence now filling the air.

"Okay… so…" Elazul said. "I plan to leave Eirini."

"Ah…!" Marian seemed surprised.

"…But not today." Elazul looked down. "I'll… just stay here for some time… It's time I learned something about what I am…"

"I see…" Marian nodded. She looked at Elazul… and frowned. "You're dirty."

"…What."

Marian grabbed Elazul by the wing. "You're getting cleaned. Now." Elazul stood in mute confusion before dawning shocked horror. "…WHAT!?" he shouted.

"Now." Marian dragged him into the bathroom. After rather forcefully placing him at a stool, Marian rolled up her clothing's sleeves.

"H-Hey! What are you-OI!"

"Stay still!"

"I-I can do it myself! Stop it!"

"I said stay still!"

"My tail! A-Ah! D-Don't touch there…"

"…Whoa. That's-"

"E-ENOUGH!"

* * *

"G-Geez…" Elazul continued to grumble as he hastily put on his shirt. "Y-You didn't have to force me to take a shower…" His face is completely flushed red.

"Well, you look better now." Marian nodded.

"Th-That isn't the point!" Elazul grumbled. He huffed and looked away. He stood there in his position for a while before his head turned slowly to look at Marian. "…M-Maybe… you wouldn't mind… if we do this again…?"

Marian paused for a while, and she nodded. "I wouldn't mind."

* * *

After dinner, Elazul looked at the cloudy sky through the room's window. "So, I'll stay in this town for a while…" he spoke through the earpiece. "Meanwhile, you guys continue to get information about the remaining fragments. Is that clear?"

"Okay, we get it." The voices spoke from the earpiece.

"I expect to see some work the next time I contact you." Elazul placed the earpiece down. He looked at the sleeping Fennikusu nestled on the drawer beside Elazul's bed. He took another look outside the house.

"It's about time. I'll learn about the Hybrids. Who they really are… and who I really am."

 **Chapter 33 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Hybrid (Part Pokémon, part Shadow… what fate awaits this individual…?)**

 **Weapon: Shell Splitter (Spears)**

 **And thus, a lot of things are revealed. Elazul is a Hybrid, and Eirini is actually the Hybrids' Village. He'll stay here for the time being, so what will he do? It won't be revealed yet, since we'll return to the other Side.**


	37. Chapter 34 The Girl and her Doll

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 34: The Girl and her Doll**

* * *

 _ **Academia, Kite's apartment**_

"Nmmmnnn…" Luca groggily rubbed his eyes. "How long was I asleep…?" He mumbled loudly.

"A-About three days…" A soft and timid voice spoke.

"Huh?" Luca looked at his right. A small Ralts with a Banette doll around her arms stood beside the bed. "E-Eep!" The Ralts retreated to the other side of the room. Luca took a look around the room. Other than the bed he's resting on, the place is messy, stacks of books almost towering over the bed rested near the walls. There is also a wooden table, although that was packed with books on the top.

Noticing his hat resting on one of the stacks, Luca put it on and got out of the bed. Approaching the small Ralts, he spoke. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you." Luca smiled. "Hello. That's a really… funny doll you have here." Luca pointed at the Banette doll. "So, what's your name?"

The small Ralts said nothing, looking down… and the Banette doll twitched. "…HELLO!" The Banette doll's eyes closed and the mouth suddenly zipped open and it shouted those words. "W-WHOAH!" Luca yelped as he stumbled backwards and fell on his back. His hat swayed in the air before it landed beside Luca.

"Whoops, clumsy little guy, aren't you?" The Banette doll said. The small Ralts looked down at her doll. "Th-This is Taro… H-He won't harm you…" She spoke softly. The Banette doll, Taro, nodded. "And this is Lucille! But you can also call her Lucy, okay? So, hello again!"

Luca stared at the girl and her doll, no, talking doll. "Err.. Y-Yeah… Hello… Both of you…" he said nervously. He has never come across a living doll before. So, it feels really awkward to talk to something that is naturally not supposed to be living.

"U-Um…" Lucille walked up to Luca. "Y-You're alright, r-right?"

"Yup… I was surprised, though…" Luca got up and dusted his hat before putting it on. "My name's Luca."

"Luca-kun!" Taro said. "Thank you for rescuing us with Kite-kun!"

"Th…Th-Thank you…" Lucille said softly.

"What were you doing in there, anyway?" Luca asked.

"H-Huh?" Lucille appeared to be confused.

"In the sewers. Wasn't it a dangerous place for a little girl like you to go there?"

"I…I-It was T-Taro's idea…" Lucille said. "W-We saw a strange guy…"

"Yeah! This guy had gigantic ears!" Taro continued. "A white mane too! And if I remember, he also had a spear!"

"Oh, I see…" Luca nodded. 'There's no doubt about it…' He thought. 'Who they saw… It must have been Elazul! But… why was he there…? If only I arrived there sooner… Maybe I could have met him…'

"I-Is something wrong?" Lucille asked.

"Ah, it's nothing." Luca said.

"Nnnnn…" Taro's head tilted to the left. "Bleeeaaaahhh!" He belched out something from his mouth. A small light-purple gem fell in front of Taro. 'Is that…?' Luca's eyes widened. He looked at Taro. The Banette doll appeared to be unmoving after it belched out the gem. Lucille bent down, picked up the gem, and put it in Taro's mouth. After a while, Taro started to move. "Ah, my belly's full again…"

'Dolls have bellies…?' Luca thought. 'What IS Taro, anyway?'

"So, let's meet up with the others, okay?" Taro said. Luca nodded as he left the room with Lucille and Taro. At the other room, the rest of the group were talking to one another.

Alvin noticed Luca arriving. "Here he comes." He said.

"Luca, you're alright." Arche said.

"Yeah, I am alright!" Luca nodded.

"Luca, you're alright!" Vanille said.

"Y-Yeah… I am…" Luca nodded again, this time his face reddening a bit.

"Okay…" Arturo said. "I believe that we should all brief Luca about what he needs to know."

"What I need to know?" Luca asked.

"Yes." Arche said. "As you know, Crystals are scattered around the world, where their respective owners will find them. Each Crystal can communicate only with their respective owner. This owner is known as a Crystal Bearer. There's an exception for the Crystallizer. The Crystallizer should be able to communicate with any of the Crystals. In addition, the Crystallizer can merge with one Crystal temporarily to a new form through a process called Crystallize. The final form after the process is called a Crystallus. Crystallus are very powerful forms able to incorporate elements of the Crystal regardless of their type. Their physical and magical strengths are greatly amplified, making them a formidable ally."

"Oh, that reminds me…" Alvin said. "Luca, you said you couldn't cast any spells. But, when you transformed into that new form…"

"Wait… I casted a spell!?" Luca exclaimed.

"Yeah, you did." Alvin nodded.

"Then…!" Luca grabbed his staff.

"Wait!" Alvin shouted, realizing what Luca was about to do. But it was too late.

"Aqua Edge!" Luca called out.

Nothing happened.

"Ah…" Luca stared at his staff. "Looks like I still can't cast a spell after all…"

"What's wrong with you!?" Alvin sighed. "Are you seriously thinking of casting a spell in a confined place?"

"S-Sorry, I got carried away…" Luca apologized. He turned to Arche. "Was there anything else?"

"As I was saying…" Arche resumed her talk. "There are currently eighteen Crystal Bearers, one representing each "Type" of Pokémon. It is said that when the Crystal Bearers and Crystallizer unite, they will stop an imminent danger that will decide the fate of the world. At least, that is all the information that we have from Kite's books."

"The fate of the world…" Luca mumbled.

"Yes, and we can confirm the following Crystal Bearers: Me, Vanille, Arturo, Alvin, Kite, Lucille, Taro, Cress, Heart, Van and Elazul." Arche said.

"What about me?" Luca asked.

"Hmm… you did fuse with the Sapphire… So I assume that you must be… the Crystallizer." Arche answered.

"Yeah, that's right… the Sapphire said that I'm a Crystallizer…" Luca nodded.

"Wait… it did?" Arche said.

"Yes… And hold on… Lucille's a Crystal Bearer!?" Luca turned to Lucille.

"N…Nm…" Lucille nodded slowly. She reached for a pocket in her dress. She took out a beautiful pink sphere-shaped jewel. "M-My Crystal is a P-Pearl… and T-Taro's one is called… a F-Flourite…"

"That's right!" Taro said.

"Okay… that means… that there are other Crystal Bearers out there…" Luca nodded. "So… if we can get Kite, Lucille and Taro to follow us…"

Kite looked at the group, appearing unsure. He folded his arms while tapping his foot. "I don't… know…" Kite sighed. "You see, I have to prepare for school, and there's a lot that I have to study for the new term… Lucille's also very young, and I can't afford to put her in such dan-"

"P-Please… take me along with you…" Lucille said.

"-If Lucille wants to follow you, then I have to make sure she doesn't get into danger. So, yeah. I'll go along with all of you." Kite nodded.

"YEEES!" Taro cheered. "I get to go with Luca-kuuuun~!" The Banette doll flew to Luca and bit on his head. Everyone stared silently after Taro bit on Luca. "Mmmrphhhh!" Luca's muffled scream was audible as the young Politoed did all he could to pull the doll out of his head. Soon, he succeeded in yanking Taro out. "Bwah!" Luca shook his head.

"Hat… and skin… Weird…" Taro mumbled. "…But manageable!"

"T-Taro.. y-you shouldn't keep biting onto people's heads like that…" The little girl told her doll.

"So…" Luca sighed. "What are we going to do now?"

"There are many places we would most likely visit to find the other Crystal Bearers…" Arche looked at the world map on the wall. "I think that we should take the train from Academia to Dragsa."

"Dragsa, the Imperial Capital…" Luca said.

"Oh, yeah…" Alvin nodded. "Dragsa… I've heard that there's an incident going on there… Something about people suddenly appearing unconscious in the city…"

"That's more reason to go there, right?" Arche said.

"I agree." Arturo nodded. "It does seem suspicious. And possibly, a Crystal Bearer may investigate this incident."

"We'll all settle to go to Dragsa, right?" Vanille said. "But, first… check this out, Luca!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she sang.

" _Riou rei croa riou ze rei va ze rei."_

Vanille smiled. "I think that line I found in one of Kite's books is part of the Fonic Hymn!"

"Oh, yeah… the Fonic Hymn!" Luca nodded. "You have four pieces now! And you didn't faint this time!"

"I didn't! Maybe it's because I was still conscious." Vanille said. "But, I still don't know who manages to control me to sing those Hymns…"

"I guess we shouldn't bother about who's making you sing." Luca said. Vanille nodded in agreement. "Yup, looks like it!"

Kite watched the rest of the group talk with each other. 'Wow… Quite a series of events that I'm in, huh?' He thought.

* * *

Leaving the apartment, the group, consisting of seven Crystal Bearers and one Crystallizer, headed over to the train station in Academia. They took the earliest train that led to Dragsa. It would take them a day to reach there, but they were fortunate to have gotten on a train. It was already evening, so everyone decided to have dinner.

"Lucille, eat those stalks." Kite said. "They're good for you." Lucille is poking at the stalks on her plate while everyone else ate their food.

"I-I'm not hungry…" Lucille said softly.

"Lucille, you have to stop being picky." Kite said. "You won't grow bigger if you don't take your nutrients and vitamins."

"I-I don't want to eat s-stalks…" Lucille said.

"If you don't eat a lot," Taro said. "you'll never grow bazongas!"

"I-I don't want that either…" Lucille jabbed a stalk and brought it slowly to her mouth. She whimpered at the taste of the vegetable.

"What's a… 'bazonga'?" Vanille asked. "Is it something you eat?"

"I… don't think you should know." Arche told Vanille.

"Should I tell her?" Alvin whispered to Arturo.

"Hmm…. I would recommend not to." Arturo answered.

"What IS a bazonga?" Luca asked Kite.

"I have no idea." Kite said before he resumed eating his food.

* * *

"What should we do now?" Vanille asked everyone. They were all in one of those sleeping rooms where the older Pokemon of the group slept. Kite, Lucille, and Luca shared a different room, but they gathered here just to talk with each other.

"How about… we play poker?" Alvin suggested.

"Po…ker?" Vanille wondered. "…Do you poke someone?"

"Ahahaha." Alvin laughed at Vanille's literal-mindedness. "Wrong. Poker's like… a luck-oriented game. You have these cards and…" Alvin proceeded to give Vanille the basics of this gambling game. Vanille nodded attentively. "Oh… so, that's how you play poker…" She said. Alvin nodded. "Yeah. You wanna give it a try?"

"Of course! This sounds like fun!" Vanille said.

"Count me out." Kite said. "Let's go, Lucille." He took Lucille and Taro out of the room, most likely not to let Lucille be influenced by gambling.

"I would like to try this game out." Arturo nodded. "So, I'll join the game."

"I'd just watch from here." Luca said.

"So will I." Arche said.

Alvin took a deck of playing cards from a nearby table and he shuffled the deck swiftly. "Okay… let's get this started."

* * *

"I swear, this is beginner's luck!" Alvin's eyebrow twitched as he stared at Vanille's cards. Alvin himself is a veteran player in poker… and for six straight games, Vanille kept winning. Alvin didn't even get a chance to savour victory.

"Did I win again?" Vanille said. Arturo took a look at Vanille's face-up cards. "Hmm…" Arturo looked at the flop, turn and river. "Three 6's, and two 5's… A full house… That beats my three-of-a-kind 6 and Alvin's two pairs of 6's and Aces'."

"Yay! I won again!" Vanille pumped a fist in the air. "Let's play another round!"

"Okay, okay…" Alvin gathered the cards and shuffled them before distributing the cards to Vanille and Arturo. "Hmm…" Alvin looked at his hand. Two Aces of Hearts and Clubs. That's a fair hand to begin with. Arturo looked at his hand. 'This is bad…' Arturo stared at his 2 Spades and 7 Diamonds. "Here comes the flop…" Alvin took out the top three cards from the deck and placed them in the centre.

"Oops!" Vanille accidentally dropped her cards and they fell in front of everyone to see. It was Ace Spades and King Spades. And the flop that was just revealed… are Queen Spades, Jack Spades and 10 Spades. In other words… Vanille got a royal flush.

"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Alvin shouted.

"I won again!" Vanille cheered.

"VANILLE! YOU AREN'T CHEATING, RIGHT!?" Alvin shouted in disbelief.

"No, I am not!" Vanille said. "…What is "cheating", though?"

While an argument took place between Alvin and Vanille, Arche got off from the bed and headed out of the room. Luca noticed that and he too, left the room after Arche. Luca looked around the train corridor, heading to the left, where he was sure Arche went. While he walked, he passed by the room where he would be staying with Kite, Lucille and Taro. He could hear faint voices from the door.

"I don't know whether this is right…" Kite's voice mumbled. "But, I think that even young people like us have a part to play as Crystal Bearers…"

"I-I think so too…" Lucille's volce followed. "Th-That's why we have these, right…?"

Luca sighed. He actually wasn't on board with taking children with them for Arceus' sake. But… if they had the Crystals, then, those three had something to do with the imminent future…

Luca continued on the corridor until he saw Arche looking out of a window. "Arche." He called out.

"They look happy, don't they…?" Arche said. "Vanille, Alvin and Arturo. They enjoyed themselves during the game… Like they are a family…"

"Huh…?" Luca said. He didn't get what Arche is trying to imply. Arche brought out a flower from her dress. "This… is a memento of my mother…" Arche said. "This flower is all I have to remember her… It is unique… It has never withered for the past eighteen years I have held on to this…"

"A memento…?" Luca said. "Then… what happened to her…?"

Arche didn't say anything.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry for asking…" Luca said.

"It's okay… Everyone in the castle helped to raise me…" Arche said. "In the end, I thought I was special… But… on that day… I found out that Van, Cress, Arturo, Vanille and Heart grew up without any parents…"

"All of them… did?" Luca mumbled.

"Van's an adopted child, Arturo's parents passed away when he was young, Cress and Heart's parents died in separate incidents… and Vanille was raised in her home village when she lost her memories." Arche said.

"Arche…" Luca said.

"That's why…" Arche turned to Luca. "I want you to have this."

"Me…?" Luca asked.

"I'm afraid that I might drift away from my path… and I don't want to put anyone into more danger…" Arche said to Luca. "You're a reliable and great ally, Luca. I trust you. That's why, I feel that you can hold on to this…"

Arche passed the flower to Luca. "Please, take care of it for me, Luca." Arche said.

"If this is a mission granted by the Princess of Namdiascar…" Luca nodded. "Then, I'll do my best in fulfilling that mission!"

"Thank you…" Arche smiled. "I'm going back to sleep now, I suggest that we should turn in for the night." She headed back to her room first. Luca looked at the memento of Arche's mother. "Arche didn't state the name of the flower… I think I should just call it "Mother's Memento" for now…" Luca said. He headed back to his room, finding Kite soothing Lucille to sleep. Taro is already snoozing lightly beside Lucille.

"…And thus, that's how the first moon became white… it was because of the compassion of the moonlit maiden…" Kite said.

"Nnm…" Lucille smiled softly at Kite before her eyes closed and she slept. Kite sighed as he got off Lucille's bed. "…Oh." He noticed Luca. "Be quiet. Lucille's sleeping." He spoke in a whisper.

"Right…" Luca whispered back to Kite. "So… you're like a big brother to Lucille, aren't you?"

"Yup. I found Lucille when I was heading back home a few months ago… she didn't look like she had any place to stay, so I took her in my care. Even until now, I still wonder whether Lucille's parents will find their lost child… and I didn't have any siblings. So… it feels a bit weird to be taking care of her, at least that's what I think… But I enjoy spending time with Lucille and Taro, although the doll's annoying and kept biting my head…"

"Ahaha…" Luca chuckled softly.

"Oh… look at the time." Kite whispered. "Let's go back to sleep." Luca nodded as the two went to separate beds to sleep for the night.

 **Chapter 34 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Sealed Child (What could have happened for this child to be unable to use magic…?)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff+1 (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Upbeat Girl (Hmm... I am really good at a lot of things!(According to her))**

 **Weapon: Custom Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Gladius (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Revolver (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Graduate (A talented student who has gone through education to come this far…)**

 **Weapon: Brass Boots (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Pink Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **We have Lucille and Taro joining the group! The group is now heading to the Imperial Capital, Dragsa. It's actually easy to tell how I 'came up' with the city's name. If you want to, you can just answer this 'question'. Moving on to Dragsa, they'll meet two certain characters… can you guess who they will be…? (They already made appearances in the past chapters.)**

 **And.. I believe that a certain group will be familiar with the term 'bazongas'…**

 **Skit: A proof of newborn love**

 **Taro: (joyful) "Luca-kun~! I feel so good being with you~!" (chomp)**

 **Luca: (shocked) "*muffled screaming*" (pulls Taro out)**

 **Luca: (depressed) "Bwah! Come on, why does Taro keep biting into my head?!"**

 **Taro: "It's a proof of my newborn love, of course!"**

 **Lucille: "Th-This is the first time ever Taro has gotten so attached to someone…"**

 **Arche: (smiling) "Oh, so it's like a kiss!"**

 **Taro: (shocked) "EEEEEH?! Th-Then… my first kiss was stolen by… Kite-kun?!"**

 **Luca: (shocked) "That's what you care about!?" (pauses and becomes depressed) "No, wait… why am I saying this to a plushie?"**

 **Arche: (looking away) "You need to face reality, Luca…"**

 **Lucille: "Pl-Please… t-take responsibility…"**

 **Taro: (blissful) "Luca-kun~…"**

 **Luca: (shocked) "Awawawawa… what do you mean by take responsibility?!"**


	38. Chapter 35:In the Imperial Capital

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 35: In the Imperial Capital**

"The train has arrived at Dragsa Station." The speakers in the train announced. "Passengers who are heading to Dragsa, please alight from the train."

"Finally, we arrived at Dragsa…" Arche said as everyone left the train. "Everyone didn't forget anything, right?" This prompted the party to check their belongings… well, Luca and Kite still looked drowsy. And Arche noticed them.

"Are you alright, Luca? Kite?" Arche asked.

"We didn't have a good night…" Luca mumbled. "I felt like I was being digested in a black hole…"

"Something kept biting us in our sleep…" Kite groaned… and his head turned slowly towards Lucille… or more specifically, Taro. "You guys were tasty, though!" Taro said.

 _ **Dragsa, the Imperial Capital**_

Dragsa, the Imperial Capital located at the Western Sector, is one of the founding cities in Niata. The whole city is sculpted perfectly for residents to stay in this stone wall fortress. The towering castle in Dragsa is home to the Commander of the Namdiascar Knights, Grast. He is an Aegislash with a sole mission of maintaining peace in the Niata region. He has travelled to the Kingdom of Namdiascar to train the soldiers there in preparation of future emergencies. Dragsa followed some sort of 'rule' to organize the citizens. There were the Slums, where the poorest citizens live and where a cemetery resides; the Commoner's Quarter, where middle-class citizens reside; the Middle District, where armor shops, the central square, and the barracks are located; and the Upper District, housing the castle and the nobles' quarter.

"This is a really large city…" Vanille said as they entered the Middle District from Dragsa Station.

"It is to be expected." Arturo said. "Dragsa is after all, a founding city in Niata."

"Wonder whether we'll meet any of the travelling merchants?" Vanille said. "I met a Five during the train ride."

"Hmm… What should I do…?"

The group took notice of a small yellow mouse dressed in a robe pacing around the square. "She hasn't come back from the mansion yet… and I don't know whether I should go in there… But… knowing her, she'd just scold me for going in when she finds me… Then, what should I do…?"

"Hello?" Arche said. "Is something wrong?"

"...Eh?" The Pikachu turned around with its' lightning shaped tail swaying left and right. "Oh…? I didn't see any of you from the city… did you come from another place?"

"Yes, we did… We are…" Arche slowly introduced everyone in the group.

"Oh… then, you're Cress's friends?" The Pikachu said.

"Huh?" Luca said. "You know Cress?"

"Yup. I do. Two months ago, she arrived here, ya see." The Pikachu explained. "She helped me to fight off plenty of bad guys and saved me. She took care of me since then, ya see."

"Then, where is Cress?" Arturo asked.

"Cress?" The voice belonged to neither the party or the Pikachu. It came from an Audino who had apparently heard their conversation. "Heart!?" Luca recognized the Audino as Heart Burkwood.

"Wooow~! Bazongas!" Taro squealed.

"T-Taro!" Lucille scolded her doll.

"Cress is here…?" Heart asked Luca.

"We were about to ask this… err…" Luca faced the Pikachu. "What was your name again?"

"Oh, it's Nat." The Pikachu said. "And… Cress went to…" Nat ran off to the upward stairs leading to the Upper District. The group followed him until Nat stopped nearby at a fountain. "Over there." Nat pointed to a mansion. "There's been a series of incidents, ya see. People who enter this mansion were found unconscious. But, then… it's supposed to be unowned for as long as I remember, ya see."

"Then… why is there a guard in front of the mansion?" Kite said, pointing to the gates of the mansion. There is a guard standing there, dressed in Dragsa armor.

"I don't know… but guards have been stationed here ever since the incidents occurred." Nat answered.

"By the way… what are you doing here, Heart?" Arturo asked Heart. "Did you hear of the recent incidents in Dragsa?"

"No, it's just pure coincidence that I arrived here." Heart said. "I was surprised, but couldn't help to check on Cress when she is mentioned here. But… what are those incidents…? Could someone explain this to me?"

"Okay, okay…" Nat nodded. "One of the victims is at the Slums… I can bring you there."

"All right." Heart nodded. And after that, Nat ran down the stairs with Heart following him from behind.

"Okay…" Luca looked at the guard standing at the gates. "We've got to find a way to get in the mansion…"

* * *

"Here, in this house." Nat pushed a door open and he and Heart entered the house. There was a Floette floating around, tending to some business. At the bed in the house, lied a comatose Hawlucha. "Oh, Nat. You're here." The Floette said. "And I see you brought a guest."

"Miss, mind if we take some time here?" Nat asked. "Just don't break anything." The Floette said before she returned to placing plates at a sink. Nat pointed to the comatose Hawlucha. "This guy's a victim. And he hasn't woken up for the past two weeks."

"Let me see…" Heart walked to the Hawlucha. "Hmm…" She lowered her hand on the Hawlucha's chest. "O holy light, bless our health with your divinity… Cure." Her hand emitted green energy and the energy coated the Hawlucha. Everything was silent for a while before the Hawlucha twitched and slowly got up from the head.

"…Hmm? Where am I…?" The Hawlucha mumbled.

"Don't worry, you are alright." Heart said. "I've recovered your stamina."

"Oh, I guess I should thank you…" The Hawlucha nodded.

"Before you went comatose…" Heart asked. "Did you happen to see or feel anything?"

"Before I was… unconscious…?" The Hawlucha mumbled. "Hmm… That's… at the mansion… when I entered it… I found something strange… it was like a hidden passageway… and…"

* * *

"Hey, let me go to that mansion." Alvin said to the guard at the gates. The guard shook his head. "Sorry, no can do. There's plenty of trouble in the mansion. It's too dangerous for civilians."

"You know I'm a mercenary, right?" Alvin said. "And I can go in there to subdue the trouble, alright for you?"

"I'm afraid that I can't let anyone past this point. I'm sorry." The Dragsa guard said.

"…Fine." Alvin turned around and left the gates. He returned to the rest of the party, who were hiding behind the nearby fountain. "I tried. And without using any force." Alvin said. "I really think that we should just use force to get past that guard."

"But if we do that, wouldn't we cause a likely alert that there're intruders in the mansion?" Kite said. "It'll be too risky. We have to find another way."

"What happened?" Heart arrived at the fountain.

"Oh? You're back." Arche said.

"We tried getting past the guard, but we failed!" Vanille told Heart.

"Wh-Where's Nat?" Lucille asked. The Pikachu wasn't with Heart now.

"Oh, he said that he'll stay with the victim for a little while before he'll head over here." Heart said.

"Then… does anyone else have an idea to get that guard away from his post?" Arturo asked.

"Maybe… we could… seduce that guy with feminine wiles?" Luca suggested. Immediately, Heart and Arche appeared uncomfortable.

"…What is "seduce"?" Vanille asked, clearly confused.

"…Yup, we can cross out Vanille to seduce the guard." Taro said bluntly.

"Alvin, we're leaving this to you." Kite said.

"Geez, me?" Alvin said. "Fine, fine… Vanille's out, and Lucille can't get close without panicking… Then, that leaves…"

* * *

 _Who will distract the guard?_

 _ **Arche**_

 _Heart_

 _Luca_

* * *

"Arche, can you do it?" Alvin asked.

Arche shook her head. "Me? No chance! That's possibly no way I can do it!"

"No chance, eh?" Alvin said. "Yeah, it looks like you don't have enough sex appeal."

Arche puffed her cheeks. "I-I do have enough sex appeal, thank you very much! Shall I prove it?"

'Works like a charm every time.' Alvin chuckled. "Go ahead."

"But first of all, we should find an outfit to make that guard drooling, right?" Heart said.

"Yes, we should!" Arche said before she marched off to find outfits. Everyone else followed Arche but Kite and Alvin.

"You're manipulative." Kite said.

"Naw, the princess is just easy to manipulate." Alvin answered.

"That's… for sure." Kite watched the rest of the party heading towards a nearby tailor shop before he and Alvin went to the same shop to look for Arche's outfit.

* * *

 **Skit: The Princess's high hurdle**

 **Luca: (pondering) "Doesn't anyone think that Heart would have been the best choice to seduce the guard?"**

 **Arche: (pouting) "You don't believe me, Luca? Don't you worry! I can seduce people just fine!"**

 **Luca: (pondering) "It's not like I don't believe you, but… I'm not sure… whether you are suited for this…"**

 **Lucille: (shy) "A-Arche's suddenly different than before…"**

 **Taro: (joyful) "Arche-chan's overthinking things! It's easy seduction!"**

 **Alvin: (scratching head) "Well, it seems too easy for some people, but it's like a high hurdle for a princess to do this…"**

 **Arche: (determined) "I WILL seduce that guard! Just you wait!"**

* * *

"Do you have any outfit that can attract any kind of male?" Arche said.

The tailor pondered. "Attract any… are you gonna wear it?" The tailor went to the storage room behind the counter and brought a set of clothing with him. "How about this?"

"This is lovely!" Arche nodded.

"…Rejected." Alvin said.

"Rejected?" Lucille wondered.

"Why? It's so cute…" Arche said.

"If "cute" is what we're looking for, you could have just stuck with what you're wearing now." Alvin told her. "So, basically… it has barely any sex appeal."

"Again with the sex appeal…" Arche mumbled. She turned to the tailor. "…Clothes that would make this young lady sexy, please…"

"Hmm.. Let's see… If you bring me some leather skin, cotton and some bird feathers…" The tailor said. "I'll produce a set of clothing that should satisfy you."

"Huh. Those three items?" Alvin said. "Don't worry. I got those with me."

"You have all of them?" Arche said.

"I actually didn't think that all of the spoils of battle would turn out to be useful." Alvin admitted as he searched through his coat. "…Here." Alvin placed three small sacks at the counter.

The tailor took a look in each pouch and nodded. "All right. Wait here while I make you something nice! Now, come on…" The tailor grabbed the items and took Arche along with him.

 _Several minutes later…_

Arche came out of the changing room. She was wearing a sleeveless pink dress, which was more noticeable from her natural white dress-like arms. She was also dressed in several accessories that mostly covered her crystal headdress. "So…? How do I look?" Arche asked.

"Wow… I didn't expect the outfit to fit you very well." Alvin said. Everyone took a look at Heart, noticing something very obvious.

"…? W-Why is Heart wearing this outfit?" Lucille asked.

"Ah… They had leftover materials… so they prepared one for me." Heart answered.

"In my opinion…" Alvin said. "That is kind of… er… unique…"

"But why do I have to wear such a revealing outfit…?" Heart mumbled.

"Okay, okay, let's have Arche distract the guard as planned." Alvin told everyone.

"Okay." Arche nodded.

Alvin faced Heart, or tried to face her. "And before I get a nosebleed, could you do something about that outfit?"

The group headed back to the gates of the mansion after Heart wore her robes and hat. Upon reaching near the gates, the majority of the group hid behind the other side of the fountain while Arche headed to the mansion.

"Excuse me, Mr. Knight?" Arche called out.

The guard's head turned dopily at Arche's direction, appearing to be surprised when he saw Arche. "Huh… W-Wha… You're wearing such a… Umm…" The guard stared at Arche for a brief moment. "…Hmm? Hey… You… No, it couldn't be… Not in that outfit…"

"Hm? Do you know me?" Arche said.

"No… It's just that…" The guard said. "You look a little… like the Namdiascan Princess…"

"Ah, yes… I get that a lot." Arche smiled as she said.

"…Phew… He didn't realize it's her." Luca sighed in relief while he hid from behind a building.

"Come a little closer, would you?" The guard asked, motioning Arche to come closer.

Arche shook her head. "No, I would like you to come to me…" she said. She moved back slightly, and the guard advanced the same distance as her as she expected.

"Why would you run away like that?" The guard asks.

"Oh…" Arche giggled softly. "It's just that… I'm a little… shy…." She moved back again. And the guard walked forward.

"Ha ha ha…" The guard chuckled.

"Hee hee hee…" Arche smiled. Arche immediately floated to behind the fountain and the guard chased after her… and was suddenly hit from the back hard. "URG!" The guard collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Alvin dusted his ears as the rest of the group appeared from behind a building.

"In the end… We had to knock the guard out cold…" Kite said.

"If we hadn't done that, the Princess would have been in a tight spot, don't you think?" Alvin said.

"Yes… the guard might have been mad if he found out my identity…" Arche said.

"Well, that's one of them… But it's not what I meant. Change your clothes, Arche. We shouldn't have any more trouble with the guards for a while." Alvin said before he grabbed the unconscious guard by the legs and dragged him into a nearby alley.

* * *

 _Who will distract the guard?_

 _Arche_

 _ **Heart**_

 _Luca_

* * *

"Hmm… Heart would be the best choice here." Alvin turned to look at Heart.

"…Me?" Heart said. "Why?"

"Err… Well…" Alvin tried to explain in the least offensive way. "You do have those… breasts."

"…You chose me because of those?" Heart looked unpleased. She turned away, muttering to herself apparently. She soon faced Alvin. "…If this is the only way to get in the mansion to find Cress, then I have no choice but to do it, am I right?"

"Uh, yeah." Alvin said.

"…All right. I'll go and seduce the guard. But first, I need something else to wear other than these robes." Heart said.

'Wow… Heart's serious about this that it feels so weird…' Alvin thought.

"That means we should head over to a tailor shop, am I correct?" Arturo suggested. Everyone took note of Arturo's suggestion and headed to the direction of the nearest tailor shop.

* * *

 **Skit: Ah, to be like Heart…**

 **Luca: (happy) "I don't think this plan will fail with Heart seducing the guard!"**

 **Heart: (nervous) "Seduction… I am nervous…" (changes to determined) "But… if Cress is in danger, I have to do what I have to do!"**

 **(Luca blushes)**

 **Arche: (down) "…What can I do to be like Heart…?"**

 **Alvin: (confused) "Hm? You say something?"**

 **Arche: (sighing) "Oh, no. Just talking to myself…"**

* * *

"Excuse me. I would like to see some fascinating outfits." Heart told the tailor.

"Fascinating…!? Like something for a date?" The tailor went to the storage room behind the counter and brought a set of clothing with him. "How about this?"

"This… won't do." Heart said.

"Hmm…" The tailor made another trip to the storage room to grab another set of clothing before returning to the counter. "Well, then… how about this?"

"Uh-uh." Heart said.

"Then…" The tailor made yet another trip and carried several sets of clothing.

 _After several more trips…_

"What exactly are you looking for?" The tailor asked Heart. Everyone else had dispersed from the counter, doing their own things. Heart pondered for a while before answering. "For example…" Heart leaned above the counter and told the tailor what she wanted.

"Ah, then I don't have anything of that sort…" The tailor said.

"If it's possible, then could you make one for me?" Heart asked.

"Let's see… If you bring me some leather skin, cotton and some bird feathers…" The tailor said. "I'll produce a set of clothing that should satisfy you."

"Huh. Those three items?" Alvin said. "Don't worry. I got those with me."

"You have those items with you?" Heart said.

"I actually didn't think that all of the spoils of battle would turn out to be useful." Alvin admitted as he searched through his coat. "…Here." Alvin placed three small sacks at the counter.

The tailor took a look in each pouch and nodded. "All right. Wait here while I make you something nice! Now, come on…" The tailor grabbed the items and took Heart along with him.

 _Several minutes later…_

Heart came out of the dressing room. She wore some sort of upper clothing that appeared to be a bra of sorts. A short violet skirt with two extending ribbons was worn around her hips. Needless to say, the entire outfit was very revealing of Heart's blessed figure.

"So… how is it?" Heart asked. She stared at Alvin, who was drooling.

"…It works." Heart nodded.

"…Huh?" Alvin blinked. He felt like he was in another world a moment ago.

"I-I can't see anything…" Lucille mumbled, her and Taro's eyes covered by Kite's arms.

"You'd better not, Lucille." Kite informed her.

"Okay… let's go back to the mansion now that we're done here." Arche said.

"I've got one thing to say… Arche." Luca said. "Could you get out of that costume you're wearing now? I-It's kind of… embarrassing for me to look at…"

The group headed back to the gates of the mansion after Arche dressed in her regular clothing. Upon reaching near the gates, the majority of the group hid behind the other side of the fountain while Heart headed to the mansion.

"Ohhh… It's soooo hot out here…" Heart said loudly enough for the guard to hear her. The guard notices her and he hunches his back, giving out barely audible snorts.

"Oh, hello there." Heart 'noticed' the guard. "Oh, did you get an eyeful just now?"

The guard immediately stood straight. "N-No! I didn't see anything! I didn't even see if there was anything to see!"

"Oh, is that so…" Heart sighed, turning away. "Such a disappointment…"

"A disappointment?" The guard said.

"I've fallen… in love with your big, strong… work ethic." Heart said.

"M-Madly in love…!?" The guard appeared to be startled.

"Mmmmhmmm…" Heart turned to the guard. "So… you get what I'm saying, aren't you?"

"Er… Maybe?" The guard says with an unsure tone.

"Maybe I'll just come out and make it clear." Heart advanced slowly to the guard. "How about we have… a little fun~?"

"Y-Yeah…" The guard said. "B-But, there's someone back in the capital I promised to marry…"

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud." Heart grabbed the guard's hand and ushered him towards the fountain. "But, I… hmm…" The guard didn't do anything but have Heart bring him to the fountain. There was no one there except them… well, at least until now. "URG!" The guard collapsed on the ground, unconscious. "Good work." Alvin dusted his ears as the rest of the group appeared from behind a building.

"You owe me big time, Alvin." Heart said. "I'm getting out of this humiliating attire right now." She quickly headed to the tailor shop after she finished speaking.

"Why target me?" Alvin sighed while he dragged the guard into the nearest alleyway. "You went to agree with the whole idea by yourself…"

* * *

 _Who will distract the guard?_

 _Arche_

 _Heart_

 _ **Luca**_

* * *

"Okay, Luca. Go for it." Alvin said.

Luca looked completely startled. 'Wh-What are you talking about!? Why me!?" he said.

Heart turned to Luca. "I think Luca would do fine for this…"

"Luca, go for it!" Vanille said.

"W-Wait… I'm not going to dress up as a girl…" Luca said. "…am I?"

"Luca… good luck…" Kite mumbled.

"Okay, it's decided. Let's go." Alvin headed off to the tailor shop.

"Could we just reconsider this…?" Luca's head and arms hung low as he followed the group to the tailor shop.

* * *

 **Skit: …The cutest?**

 **Luca: (nervous) "Hey, there's still time, you guys… How about someone else seduce the guard?"**

 **Alvin: (normal) "When an adult makes up his mind, he's gotta see through it to the end!"**

 **Luca: (exasperated) "There isn't anything of me deciding to seduce the guard!"**

 **Vanille: (happy) "Don't worry, Luca! You'll be fine! You're going to be the cutest little thing the guard has ever seen!"**

 **Luca: (embarrassed) "I-I'm really embarrassed… but if we have to find Cress, then…"**

* * *

"Do you have some sort of dress for a girl that will make her extremely cute?" Alvin asked the tailor behind the counter.

"Extremely cute! Like something for a date?" The tailor asked.

"Yeah, that's right. So…?" Alvin gave Luca a push towards the counter.

The tailor examined Luca. "Let's see… Err… You're a boy, am I right?"

"Well, I don't look like a girl, do I?" Luca said.

"Ah, well… Wait, why are you getting mad at me?" The tailor said. "Anyway… this shop doesn't sell any clothing for young girls."

"He says that he doesn't have anything!" Luca said to Alvin. "Too bad!"

"Hold on…" The tailor spoke.

"Huh…?" Luca faced the tailor.

"I suppose I could make an exception this time… If you bring me some leather skin, cotton and some bird feathers…" The tailor said. "I'll produce a set of clothing that should satisfy you."

"Huh. Those three items?" Alvin said. "Don't worry. I got those with me."

"You do!?" Luca said in surprise.

"I actually didn't think that all of the spoils of battle would turn out to be useful." Alvin admitted as he searched through his coat. "…Here." Alvin placed three small sacks at the counter.

The tailor took a look in each pouch and nodded. "All right. Wait here while I make you something nice! Now, come on…" The tailor grabbed the items and took Luca along with him. "W-Wait…!" Luca said. But it was too late as Luca and the tailor had already disappeared into one of the rooms.

 _Several minutes later…_

"Everything should be ready." Arturo said at one of the changing booths. "Come on, Luca, go out."

"D-Do I really have to…?" Luca's voice said from the booth. A loud sigh could be heard from the booth before the door slid open. Luca was dressed in a short white dress with long frilly sleeves. A large pink ribbon was tied on his cured hair. Most of his pink cheeks were concealed within makeup, giving him a more feminine appearance. Luca also had pink shoes with white stockings. And finally, a pink sash was tied around his waist.

"Well…" Alvin said. "I'd say this attire is passable…"

"You're terrible, Alvin…" Luca said.

"It looks so cute! This'll definitely work!" Vanille said.

"L-Luca's cute…" Lucille said softly.

"Can't resist… Must bite on Luca-kun…!" Taro was being held tightly by Lucille's forearms.

"Yes, I'd think that Luca will do fine." Heart said.

"Let's get back to the mansion, everyone." Arche said.

The group headed back to the gates of the mansion, having formulated a plan along the way. The majority of the group hid behind the other side of the fountain while Luca was at the side facing the mansion.

"E-Excuse me…" Luca said.

"Get closer to him!" Alvin spoke in a hushed whisper.

Luca turned around. "B-But, this is so…"

"You can do it, Luca!" Vanille said. The group retreated further from the fountain, where they could still see Luca.

"Nnnnn…" Luca turned back and he headed to the guard. "Excuse me, Mr. Knight!" Luca said in a feminine tone.

"Hmm?" The guard noticed Luca. "Are you talking to me?"

Luca nodded. "Y-Yes, could you come over here? I can't find my doll."

The guard took a look around the gates from his position and turned to Luca. "…No, I'm not supposed to leave my post unattended!" the guard said.

"B-But…" Luca started to sniffle and cry.

"I'm s-sorry!" the guard said. "Please don't cry like that…" The guard took another look around the gates before facing Luca. "Oh, all right. I suppose I can make some time, for your sake." The guard said.

Luca's face brightened. "Oh, I'm so happy, mister! Now, please come closer!" Luca headed over to behind the fountain with the guard following him from behind. "So… what did your doll look li-URG!" The guard was suddenly knocked down from behind and collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Alvin dusted his ears as the rest of the group appeared from behind a building.

"And as I guessed," Luca said with his regular tone. "It ended with blows anyway…"

"We couldn't really ask you to go all the way with it." Alvin said.

"Wh-What do you mean…?" Luca said with a nervous smile.

"Forget it." Alvin shrugged his shoulders. "Change your clothes and go leave that costume at the shop."

"…Alright." Luca said, heading back to the shop to change.

* * *

"Now the guard's out of the way." Arche said. "We can go in the mansion now."

"Hold on." Alvin stopped Arche. "We don't know whether there're guards in there too, so we should keep it safe by having someone dress up in that guard's armor. Kite would also be a suitable candidate."

"Me?" Kite said.

"So… I'll pass this decision to you, Arche." Alvin said. "Who will wear that guard's armor?"

"Hmm…" Arche pondered.

* * *

 _Who will disguise as a knight?_

 _ **Kite**_

 _Alvin_

* * *

"Kite, can you do this?" Arche asked.

"You choose me?" Kite said. "Well, I'll try."

 _A few minutes later…_

Kite wore the full armor of the Dragsa guard that was still unconscious. "Okay… It's hard to move in this armor…" Kite commented.

"Hey! Quit goofing off over there!"

A Dragsa soldier headed over to Kite. "Huh?" Kite said.

"You should get back to your post before things get even more out of hand!" The soldier said.

"Wait… 'out of hand' as in…?" Kite asked.

"This paladin we're trying to subdue! Hurry up!" The soldier ran off first to the mansion and Kite followed the soldier.

"A paladin… could it be…!?" Heart pondered.

 _ **Unowned Mansion**_

The moment Kite entered the mansion, he was startled at the display of unconscious soldiers scattered around the main room. "What the heck!?" Kite exclaimed. There were only three soldiers still conscious, and very frightened, as they 'tried' to subdue the paladin. The paladin is an Ampharos, a female one at that. She wore a sleeveless black bodysuit and several metallic platings at her torso, her left leg and her arms. The Ampharos also had heavy-looking shoes. Finally, she held a long sledgehammer on her hands.

"How much more trouble are you all going to give me!?" The Ampharos huffed. "Get your superior out here! I want to have a word with him!" Two of the soldiers charged at the Ampharos, but the Ampharos easily batted them to the other side of the room with a mere swing.

"What the heck!? Who is this woman!?" Kite said.

"C-Calm down! I-I'll call him right now…!" The remaining soldier squeaked from behind a flipped table.

"Shaddup!" The Ampharos swung her sledgehammer down, electrocuting the poor soldier with a large lightning bolt.

'This is nuts!' Kite thought. The Ampharos slowly walked to the center of the room, looking around and she noticed Kite. "What? Reinforcements already?" The Ampharos grumbled.

"Are you Cress?" Kite managed to say.

"How do you know my name!?" The Ampharos glared at him.

"Well… you see…" Kite started to say.

"Hold on a moment!" Voices called out from outside the mansion. Luca, Arche, Vanille, Arturo, Alvin, Lucille, Taro and Heart entered the mansion. Kite took out his armor pieces one by one.

"Cress!" Heart said.

"…Heart?" Cress said in surprise.

* * *

 _Who will disguise as a knight?_

 _Kite_

 _ **Alvin**_

* * *

"Alvin, can you do it?" Arche asked Alvin.

"Fine, fine, if that's your order…" Alvin said.

 _A few minutes later…_

"…I'm surprised that they'll fall for this…" Alvin said. He could only fit in the helmet and the gauntlets from the armor.

"Hey! Quit goofing off over there!"

A Dragsa soldier headed over to Alvin. "Hm?" Alvin said.

"You should get back to your post before things get even more out of hand!" The soldier said and dragged Alvin to the mansion.

"Does anyone think that we should have done something?" Arturo asked.

"Hmm… what we can do for now is to head to the mansion." Arche said. And with that, the party went to the mansion. "What could be going on in there?" Vanille wondered.

"Who knows?" Luca said.

Everyone heard some sort of blast in the mansion.

"Alvin's in there, right?" Kite said.

"Yes. We should take a look." Heart said.

 _ **Unowned Mansion**_

Everyone entered the mansion and were startled to see soldiers lying around the entire room. In the center of the room, there is the paladin. The paladin is an Ampharos, a female one at that. She wore a sleeveless black bodysuit and several metallic platings at her torso, her left leg and her arms. The Ampharos also had heavy-looking shoes. Finally, she held a long sledgehammer on her hands.

The paladin dropped her battle stance and turned around. "H-Heart!? What are you doing here?" She exclaimed.

"Were you causing this ruckus?" Luca asked.

"You guys…" Cress noticed the rest of the group.

"D-Do you think Alvin's all right?" Lucille asked.

"Oh, that's right…" Arche said.

"…Urgh…" One of the soldiers got up and staggered to his feet.

"What!?" Cress noticed the soldier and readied her sledgehammer. "You still want some!?"

"Wait!" Arche saw the soldier. "That's Alvin!"

"…Say what?" Cress lowered her sledgehammer.

"Geez… Cress… you still hit like a ton of bricks…" Alvin groaned, taking his helmet and gauntlets off.

* * *

"So… what're you guys doing here?" Cress asked, having finally calmed down from her rage.

"Well, Cress…" Arche and Luca began before they told Cress about everything.

 **Chapter 35 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Oak Staff+1 (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Custom Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Gladius (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Skilled Paladin (Her strength is not to be messed with at all times.)**

 **Weapon: Mithril Slugger (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Priestess Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Kresnik (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Graduate (A talented student who has gone through education to come this far…)**

 **Weapon: Brass Boots (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Pink Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Cress and Heart rejoins the party! And in such a short duration was this story updated this time! Now, what will happen next in the story?**

 **Skit: It works on you! Maybe? (Kite disguises as a soldier)**

 **Arche: (normal) "You really look good wearing that guard's armor, Kite!"**

 **Taro: (happy) "Kite-kun scored 10/10 on the disguise scale!"**

 **Kite: (unsure) "Is that… so…"**

 **Arche: (normal) "It was pure coincidence, but the armor fits you perfectly! The soldier was completely fooled!"**

 **Kite: (unsure) "But… I didn't like wearing that armor… It's heavy and I can't move very well in it…"**

 **Taro: (happy, nearing Kite) "No matter! Kite-kun! C'mere!" (chomps)**

 **Kite: (shocked) "*muffled screaming*"**

 **Kite: (depressed and thinking) 'I wish I had kept the helmet to protect my head from Taro…'**

 **Skit: It kinda works on you… (Alvin disguises as a soldier)**

 **Arche: (normal) "I'm impressed that you passed for a real soldier, Alvin, despite your size."**

 **Alvin: (scratching head) "I'm amazed myself. I only had a helmet and gauntlets on."**

 **Lucille: (shy) "I-I think that the knight was panicked a lot… M-Maybe he didn't notice anything else but your helmet…"**

 **Alvin: (frowning) "I'm not going to put on something like that again…"**


	39. Chapter 36:Cruel Meeting

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 36: Cruel Meeting**

* * *

"I see…" Cress nodded. Currently, Cress had gathered them in one of the rooms of the mansion. White cloths were draped all over the furniture of the room, just like the rest of the other rooms.

"Yeah… that's the gist of it." Luca said.

"So, you need me to help you guys out. All right." Cress nodded.

"Nice to meet ya, Cress!" Taro popped out from Lucille's arms and greeted Cress. Her reaction that followed upon seeing the living doll for the first time was…

"KYAAAAAH!" Cress lashed out a punch at Taro, sending him flying to the other side of the room. "T-Taro…!" Lucille immediately trotted over to Taro, who had been dug into the wall, and pulled him out. "S-Strong… C-Cress… S-Strong…" Taro mumbled.

"Cress, you're scared of ghosts, right?" Alvin said.

"What-!?" Cress's face flushed. "O-Of not course–course not!" Alvin's smile just widened.

"Anyway…" Heart said. "What are you doing in this mansion, Cress?"

"That…" Cress said. "I want to find out about something. And I am sure that a hidden passageway will lead to it. But, as you saw earlier… the Dragsa knights gave me plenty of headaches. Thought I was some sort of suspicious figure and wanted to interrogate me or something."

"So… in other words… you got caught and beat up the knights." Heart said.

"Something like that." Cress replied.

"So, where's the hidden passage?" Vanille asked.

"Actually…" Cress walked up to a statue and took off the cloth. "The entrance's over here." She grabbed the statue's arm and twisted it to the left. A sudden roar reverberated in the room as the statue slid to the left, revealing a passageway that led underground. "…But, we can't go in there yet." Cress said. "Let's prepare carefully before we head down there."

"Err… Why?" Luca gulped. He was sure that things would be difficult.

"Going through that place is very tricky. We'll need to prepare before we go in there." Cress said. "Some of us will need some new weapons if we're to tackle this place."

"Oh, I see…" Arturo nodded. "That is a good idea."

"Alright. Let's get out of the mansion, first." Cress said. Everyone nodded, heading out of the room and to the main hall before leaving the mansion. Upon leaving the mansion, they could see a pair of Dragsa knights heading towards the gates.

"Just our luck…" Cress mumbled.

"What should we do…?" Arche wondered.

An idea lit up in Luca's head. "Everyone, hide behind the walls! I'll try to reason with them!"

"Huh?" Vanille said.

"Just hide! I'll be fine!" Luca insisted. Everyone else looked at each other before they decided to agree with Luca and hid behind the right wall. Just as Luca turned around, the knights have reached the gate.

"Hey, civilian!" The knight on the left stopped in front of Luca. "You shouldn't go into that mansion! It's dangerous there!"

Luca tilted his head. "…Huh? Why?"

"Don't you know?" The other knight said. "There's supposed to be a dangerous figure wandering in the mansion! Civilians are not allowed to enter the mansion until the threat's been subdued. The figure's supposed to match the description of a paladin."

"Oh, I just met a paladin in the mansion." Luca said.

"You WHAT!?" The knights roared.

"I found out that this "paladin" … is an acquaintance of the Princess of Namdiascar!" Luca said.

"An acquaintance…!?" One of the knights shook.

"Yeah! The Princess herself has already met the "paladin"!" Luca said. "So, it's an ally, and not an enemy!"

"The Princess's ally… but… still…" The other knight began to say.

"You should clarify with the Princess by sending a letter to her kingdom!" Luca said. "She'll tell you all about it!"

"Wait… how do you-Hold on…" The knight on the left looked at Luca closely. He took two steps backwards. "It can't be…! Are you Ezperanda's son!?"

Luca nodded. "Oh, you guys know of my Pops!"

"It is his son!" The knight remarked. "No wonder he looks similar to the great mage! What's a young prodigy like you doing in a place like this?" The other knight bumped his shoulder. "Hey. We should check with the Kingdom of Namdiascar to validate this claim now."

"You're absolutely right!" The knight said. "We should contact the Kingdom right away!" They turned around, preparing to leave, but one of the knights halted. "Just between you and me, I've heard rumors that Grast has formulated a plan to maintain peace in the region, and he is currently searching for the Princess for consultancy. Should you see her, inform her about this, alright?" The knight said.

"Um… all right?" Luca said.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse us…" The guards finally left the district, heading to the castle. After a while, everyone approached Luca from the wall. "I guess, that's one problem solved." Alvin said.

'Grast… is searching for me…?' Arche thought. 'Although I do understand his intentions for my well-being… I couldn't help, but feel uneasy just from hearing this…'

"Huh?" Luca noticed Arche acting strangely. "Is something wrong?"

Arche lifted her head. "Oh, please don't mind me." She said. "I'm alright. Now, then… we should all prepare for the following journey." Alvin stepped forward. "In that case, I'll handle the selection of weapons. Oh, and I'll bring Luca along." Alvin said, patting Luca's back.

"Wh-Why?" Luca said.

"Just wanna try out something." Alvin told Luca. "So… come on." Alvin brought Luca along with him as they headed over to the weaponry.

"Let's just look around Dragsa for the time being while Alvin picks out the equipment he finds." Arche suggested to the rest of the party.

* * *

"So… we have this… and that…" Alvin mumbled, staring at the assortment of weapons he picked out at the weaponry. There was a Ranger's Blade for Vanille, a Mystic Staff for Luca, an Epee for Arche. He had upgraded his own gunblades to Kresnik+1 as well while in the building. Arturo was still hesitant of upgrading his own weapon, so his sword lute was left untouched.

"Err… Alvin?" Luca's voice spoke. "What is… this?" Alvin turned around to meet the small mage. Luca's hands are holding to a large trident. "You know… I don't use this to fight, right?"

"If you can't cast spells now, then you have to find a way to fight for your own." Alvin answered. "You did use that trident expertly back then."

"How am I supposed to use this!?" Luca shouted. He accidentally swung it at himself, smacking his head with the pole. Alvin groaned. "How did you even use that trident without any trouble that day, but you can't even hold one yourself now?"

"Er…" Luca rubbed where he hit himself. "I have no idea… I know this sounds weird, but when I held the weapon the crystal produced… I thought I was holding my staff."

"So… did you hold your staff, or the trident?" Alvin said.

"I have no idea." Luca answered. "But either way, I can't use this trident! I'll stick with holding my staff!"

"Alright, if you say so…" Alvin took the trident from Luca's hands. He looked at the other weapons and turned to Luca. "I'm gonna pass these to the others now. Well, after I pay for them. So… it looks like we'll go there tomorrow. You can take a look before we find an inn to stay at."

"Alright." Luca headed out of the weaponry. He looked around the Middle District before he headed down the stairs to the Commoner's Quarter. Luca looked around the place. Everything seemed to be peaceful around here, even though this city followed a rather strict rule. From where he was, he could spot Vanille conversing with a merchant at the Slums. It's probably one of the other merchant brothers that Vanille is searching for currently. Luca continued to look around the place, soon crossing under a bridge.

"Can I… do this?" It was Cress's voice.

"Hm?" Luca looked around. He couldn't see Cress anywhere around him, so he left the underside and took a look upward. He could see Cress looking up from the bridge. Walking back a bit further… and stepping on his robes and falling on his back, he spotted little Nat beside Cress. Getting back up again, he headed under the bridge where he could hear Cress better.

"Can I… really do this?" Cress said. "I don't want everyone to get hurt or killed because of me… Ever since that… foolish mistake I made as a child."

"Cress…" Nat said. "Everyone believes in you. They believe that you will lead them to the end of the underground route. I believe in you, too. I may be small, but someday, I will protect you, Cress!"

Cress let out a small chuckle. "Hey, don't laugh!" Nat said. "I will protect you! Someday!"

Luca continued to hear the conversation as time passed. 'Cress has been in a really rough time… But she's still strong… I wish I could be like that…' Luca thought. Nodding to himself, Luca left the bridge and went to look for an inn.

* * *

The next morning, everyone gathered at the room where Cress brought them to the previous day. Cress grabbed the switch. "Everyone's ready, right?" she asked. After receiving a nod from the rest of the party, Cress twisted the switch, revealing the passageway once again. "Okay. Let's go!" Cress said, entering the passageway while the rest of the party followed after her.

 _ **Darkness Ruins**_

"Damn. It's dark in here." Alvin mumbled.

"Hold on…" Cress said. A few taps were heard before light began to emanate from Cress. "There. Better?" She said.

"Thank you, Cress." Arche said.

"…Wooah…!" Luca walked towards a wall. "Ancient hieroglyphs! Hmm… About a millennium from now… Let's see here… So…! Ah! Then this is…!" As Luca nodded to himself, studying the ancient texts on the walls, Lucille and Taro looked bewildered. "Ah, Luca has activated his Ruin Mode." Alvin said.

"If you take a look over here… you can see that the earth that made this place is still fertile!" Luca said. "Then…! This ancient civilization is from…!"

"Okay, okay. We get it, Luca." Alvin said. "Now, could we carry on and head to wherever Cress is heading?"

"Hold up!" Everyone turned to the entrance. "Huff… Huff…" Nat panted from the passageway. "Huh? What is Nat doing here?" Vanille wondered.

"Cress… I said that I'll come here along with you…" Nat stood up steadily. "And I don't intend to break that promise!"

"Honestly, this place is very dangerous for someone like you to go." Cress said. She placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "…But… I did say that you could come along… So… Urg… Alright. Nat, just stay close to me, okay?"

"You got it!" Nat nodded and took his place beside Cress. Cress turned around. "Alright… I was saying… We've got to get through this place and reach the end of it. Everyone should stick close to one another." Immediately, Vanille tried to grapple onto Alvin's coat. "Watch the coat!" The Diggersby responded.

"I'm not sticking onto him." Vanille said.

Cress sighed. "I don't mean it literally. Anyway… just stay with one another, and we should be fine." Vanille nodded, releasing her hold on Alvin. "Okay, let's go." Cress said.

* * *

The entirety of Darkness Ruins was, well, dark. Without Cress to illuminate the area, no one could have been able to see through the pitch-black surroundings of the ancient ruins. For instance, there were several walls of darkness that blocked some of the paths. With some searching, the group found a machine that adapted Luca's Sorcerer's Ring to emit a pulse of light which is able to remove said walls. Currently, they were in the midst of a ongoing battle against several inhabiting monsters.

"T-Taro!" Lucille shouted. Immediately, the doll flew out of her arms. "Leave it to me! Taro Pressure!" Taro floated above the enemy, suddenly rapidly expanding in size and slamming down on it. He floated back up, shrinking back to his original size. "Taro Spit!" Taro suddenly spat out a sphere of dark energy at the monster, which was still recovering from being slammed by a giant doll. Drawing out her wand, Lucille began to chant as Taro returned to her side, spinning around her. "O fulminating darkness…" she said before Taro continued. "It'll be painful to watch!"

"…Obliterate!" They both shouted. Wisps of black winds started to carry the creature upwards to the ceiling, where a sphere of darkness was forming while the winds gathered. The sphere dropped down on the monster, drowning it in dark energy. It groaned for a while before it collapsed on the floor. "Phew…" Lucille breathed while Taro floated around the place. "I-It's so hard in a battle…"

"Lucille, are you alright?" Kite headed over to Lucille, handing her an Apple Gel. "You aren't used to it just yet. Are you sure that you still want to help us?" Lucille nodded softly, while her mouth nibbled on the Apple Gel.

Arche sighed in relief. "Well… all that matters is that everyone is together safe and sound."

Kite nodded. "I agree. We most likely panicked when we were separated. But now, we feel a bit safer now that we've regrouped." He added.

"Th-That's true… I-I guess…" Lucille mumbled.

"Although I beg to differ, that we have not done anything cooperative yet…" Arturo said.

"That's alright!" Vanille beamed. "Being together makes this place less scary!"

"I wonder if it's really that easy…" Alvin rolled his eyes and turned around. "…AAAAGH!" He suddenly screamed. "It's a pudgy hell soul from the underworld!" Immediately, Luca and Cress freaked out. Vanille appeared surprised, but not scared.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Luca shrieked and covered his eyes.

"KYAAAAAH!" Cress shrieked and covered her head.

"…Oh." Alvin's voice changed to a chuckle. "My bad. It's was little Taro's shadow." The doll in question glared at Alvin as he returned back to the group. "Who're you calling "Hell soul"!?" Taro said. Luca withdrew his hands slowly from his eyes, and Cress growled in exasperation.

"You are so dead! You are SO DEAD!" Cress began to march towards Alvin, who back-stepped in response. "I'm gonna kill you! And leave you haunting this place! I don't care if I AM SCARED OF GHOSTS!" Soon, it escalated to Alvin running around the group with Cress behind him.

"I think Alvin's what making the entire group feel so safe." Kite said.

"Over here!" Nat called out. He pointed to a wall. "I think we can get through here!"

Arturo looked at the wall. "That is… a wall." He said.

"Luca! Blast that wall with your ring!" Nat said.

"Uh… Alright." Luca pointed the Sorcerer's Ring at the wall, sending a light pulse at it. The wall 'melted' away, revealing a room from behind it. Cress stopped chasing Alvin as she noticed the newly-found room, heading into it. "Wait for me, Cress!" Nat said, heading into the room after her. "Let's all head in there." Arche said. Heading into the room, the group found a Remembrance Field, and a healing one, thankfully. Recovering their lost stamina, they headed into the next room afterward.

"Wha… What is this place…?" Luca said, looking around his surroundings, like the rest of the group. The new area that they have entered is colored black. Just like the shadows itself. The floor was corroded, with some noticeable stains of dried blood which seemed to have been there for years.

"Is this where Cress wanted to go?" Arche wondered. "There's nothing here. What could she be searching for?" Cress began to head towards some sort of shrine resting at the end of the room.

"This place…" Cress muttered softly. "I'd never thought that I'd be back here…"

"W-What the!?" Luca realized that the whole room became entirely dark for a moment. Everyone began to look around, but couldn't see anything else but themselves. "Everyone! Just calm down!" Cress said. "We got something to do here!" She looked in front of herself… and saw one slit floating in the air. The slit expanded to one glowing purple pupil. Two more smaller eyes soon appeared above the single eye before the room brightened. A towering figure with two large claws, three eyes, and a slim purple body was in front of Cress.

"That's… the Elemental Spirit of Darkness… Shadow!" Arche said. "Thankfully, it's not the species itself."

"An Elemental Spirit?" Vanille said.

"I'm getting a dangerous vibe coming from this thing…!" Kite said.

"Ah… Ah…"

"Wait… Something's wrong with Cress…" Alvin noticed.

"Is she… shivering?" Arturo wondered.

"…" Heart didn't say anything.

Nat stared at Shadow, mouth agape. "Shadow…" He looked up at Cress worriedly. He could see her face. It was complete fear that portrayed what Cress appears to be now.

"Ah…Ah…!" Cress's legs shook as she found herself taking steps back. She could feel invisible pressure trying to pull her down on the ground.

"Cress isn't acting normally…" Luca said. "Why…"

"wHy hAVe YoU ENteRed ThIS pLaCe?" It was coming from Shadow. Its' voice was frighteningly distorted.

"I… I…" Cress gasped. Her sweat trickled faster as she took another step back, but forced herself not to. "I came here to defeat you, Shadow!" She said. "For what happened on that day!"

"YoU…" Shadow said. It stared at Cress for a while, then at the party behind her. "…So be IT. I Shall TEST thAt StRENgtH." Shadow summoned a pulse from the ceiling, and commanded it down towards the party behind Cress. "Ah!" Cress turned around. The pulse sank into the floor.

"Where did the attack go!?" Arturo said.

"It disappeared into the ground, right? That means it should appear somewhere near us!" Alvin said. Everyone began to search around themselves, trying to spot where the attack would reappear from. But they couldn't even guess where it would appear. As their eyes focused on the ground, they were unaware of anything above them. Cress looked above them. But it was too late. A sudden pulse of darkness slammed down on Luca and the others, engulfing them in blackness.

"EVERYONE!" Cress screamed.

As the darkness disappeared, Cress stared at the entire party. Her feet shook as she walked slowly towards them, but she could only take two steps before she couldn't bring herself to go on further. Everyone was lying on the floor from that single attack, no one was even moving. Not even the energetic Vanille.

"N-No…!" Cress clutched her head, falling on her knees. "A-Again… It's my fault… My fault… Everyone's dead… because of me…"

"Cress! Please calm down!" Nat shook Cress's shoulder furiously. He turned his head to Shadow, which he saw the Elemental Sprit slowly retracting its' claws. Nat quickly looked at Cress. "Cress! Nobody is dead! Come on! Get up!"

"It's my fault… It's my fault…Everyone's dead… And it's all because of me…" Cress continued to say, not even noticing Nat. "It's just like before… It's all because of me…"

"Cress! Get up!" Nat shouted. "No one's dead!"

"Nnn…" Heart opened her eyes. She lifted her head to see that Shadow had its' claws retracted. It lunged its' claws forward, sending six stretching nails towards Cress. "Cress! BEHIND YOU!" Heart screamed.

"It's my fault... It's my fault… It's my…" Cress didn't even notice Heart's shout as the nails got closer and closer to her. That's when she actually felt something. Nat's paws were no longer on her shoulder.

 _SHHNK!_

 **Chapter 36 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Mystic Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ranger's Blade (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Epee (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Skilled Paladin (Her strength is not to be messed with at all times.)**

 **Weapon: Mithril Slugger (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Priestess Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Kresnik+1 (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Graduate (A talented student who has gone through education to come this far…)**

 **Weapon: Brass Boots (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Pink Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Cliffhanger here…! What has happened in the next chapter…? My heart aches to write the next chapter…**

 **Okay! I'm setting up a poll! What do you want to see in the upcoming EX chapter?**

 **Option 1: Forest in Red (Arturo's backstory)**

 **Option 2: Her Future (Vanille backstory after her amnesia)**

 **Option 3: The Swordsman's Way (Van's story during this Arc)**

 **Option 4: The Peaceful Times (How Cress met Nat)**


	40. Chapter 37:Awakened Resolve

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 37: Awakened Resolve**

Cress stopped her breakdown. She could feel something splatter on her back. She lifted her head slowly and she could see Heart still conscious and alive. Heart had a look of horror on her face, prompting Cress to turn around. It was a sight she never wanted to see. Six bloodied nails nearly touched her back, having gone through some living thing… and that living thing was… Nat. He was weakly holding onto the two upper nails, slowly sliding off until he was swung off to the left. Cress's face was wrenched with dread as she watched Nat's body with six holes fall onto the floor, a puddle of blood beneath his body rapidly expanding in mere seconds.

"U-Urg…" Nat groaned weakly. Shadow's nails returned slowly while Cress stared at Nat's rapidly bleeding body. "Nat…! Nat…!" Cress scampered over to the dying child. She helped Nat up slowly by his head first, then on his back. "Why… Why did you…" She mumbled.

"O-Owww…" Luca rubbed his head. "That was p-painful…" He looked forward, along with the rest of the recovering party, and saw Cress holding on to Nat. "Wh…Wh-What happened…?" He mumbled.

"C-Cress… I-I was able to… p-protect… you…" Nat said. Cress gasped, shaking her head as tears escaped her eyes. Nat mustered the remaining of his strength to lift his head with a weak smile. "S-So… this time… Cress… you…" Nat didn't finish his sentence as he succumbed to his injury and his head fell back, his eyes shut.

"No…! No…!" Cress coughed out. Pale green energy began to surround Nat's body. Particles of light began to scatter from Nat as the glow intensified. "Please…! Don't…! Don't leave me… Nat…! Nat! I didn't want this to happen!" Cress cried. Her cries remained unanswered as Nat's body disintegrated into light, scattering into the dark air. There was nothing left of Nat, not even the blood that was smeared on Cress's hands when she lifted him up. Not even the puddle of blood. It disappeared from existence. Cress stared at her hands, which were holding Nat moments ago. Now, it only held a small spherical stone. "NOOOOOOOO!" Cress couldn't hold back all her sorrow as she covered her tear-soaked face.

* * *

 _It was those memories… about the time I returned to Dragsa… I saw someone… a small child bullied by nobles, most likely. I went to stop them, of course. Nobles always acting all snotty and thinking they can walk over everyone else… I hate them. Well, anyway… after I chased them away from the bullied victim, I went to treat his wounds… I found out that his name was Nat from what the doctor had said._

… _Wait… what's this? Is that… Nat's memories? I see… that he was reading a book… Oh, it's another scene… that was when I bought two ice-cream sticks to share with him… He made a huge mess of himself from the melting ice-cream… Then… at one point, he realized that he wasn't a mortal… and he told me about it… I didn't really think that was true… but I decided to believe him…_

 _One day, we spent the evening at the bridge in Dragsa, of course before the incidents started to happen… "Hey, Nat…" I said._

" _Hmm? What is it?" Nat asked, sitting on the barrier._

" _I was always alone…" I said. "…but not anymore. Thank you."_

" _I should thank you, Cress." Nat smiled. "You took me in when no one would accept me."_

" _Then… why don't we always stay together?" I suggested with a smile of my one._

" _Good idea! It's a promise!" Nat pinky-sweared. "Let's always stay together from now on!"_

…

" _I'm so sorry, Cress… I couldn't keep this promise… I can no longer be with you…"_

" _No!"_

" _Cress… It'll be alright…"_

" _No!"_

" _Even if I'm not there… you won't be alone anymore."_

" _No! Don't go! You're the only one I have!"_

" _You're wrong… You're not alone… You never have been, Cress… Around you… you have…"_

* * *

"Cress, Cress? Cress!"

After hearing her name called continuously, Cress looked up slowly. Arche already had her sword and shield on. Heart had produced Force Field around the entire party, shielding them from Shadow's assault. "Are you alright, Cress?" Arche asked.

"Uh… Y-Yeah." Cress answered.

"Okay…" Arche looked at the party. "Kite. Alvin. Once Shadow ceases its' attacks, go attack it at once."

"I got it!" Kite nodded.

"As you wish!" Alvin clicked a gunblade.

"Now, then… Arturo!" Arche turned to the Serperior. "Support everyone with your music! You do have pieces that'll strengthen us, don't you?"

"Of course! I shall do as you wish!" Arturo tilted his hat.

"Lucille, Taro and Vanille!" Arche said. "We'll attack from afar with magic! For you, Vanille, if you think that Alvin and Kite are struggling, support them!"

"Okay! I understand!" Vanille nodded.

"O-Okay…" Lucille said.

"Leave it to us!" Taro said proudly.

"What about me?" Luca said.

"Luca, you're our key piece as the Crystallizer." Arche said. "Now that you can't cast magic normally, you have to use the Crystals to enter a Crystallus to help defeat Shadow! You'll do fine in either close-combat or ranged battling."

"Ah! I got it!" Luca took out the Sapphire. "You ready?"

" _Let us merge, then."_ The Sapphire said in Luca. As Luca transformed, Cress steadily stood up. "Don't forget about me… I can fight too!" Arche looked at Cress, then faced Heart. "Heart… you should have a talk with Cress." Arche said. "Once you release the Force Field, head to her immediately."

"Alright." Heart nodded.

"What about me!?" Cress said.

"Please…" Arche turned to face Cress. "Believe in us. We've believed in you to bring us here, and now it's your turn to believe in us. Believe that we can all beat Shadow together."

"…" Cress stared at Arche.

Shadow stopped assaulting the Force Field, opening a chance for everyone. As Heart removed the Force Field, she shouted, "Everyone, go!"

 **Elemental Spirit of Darkness**

 **Shadow**

 **Weakness: Light**

 **Resist: Dark**

"Let's do this!" Luca completed his form of the Water Crystallus and he flew over to help Kite and Alvin. Shadow raised both arms. "I wiLL NoT leT YoU!" Shadow unleashed its' nails sending them towards the advancing trio.

"Now, shall we experience movement?" Arturo was strumming rapidly. "March!" A faint glow covered Kite, Alvin and Luca, somehow making them much faster than they were and they avoided the six nails that was headed towards them with nimble movements.

Kite leapt up into the air, and as he descended, he swung his foot down. "Hyah!" he shouted as he attacked with Eagle Dive.

"Have some of this!" Alvin said, attacking from a separate direction. Shadow returned both its' arms to block both Kite and Alvin's attacks. However, it left itself wide open for Luca's attack.

"Roar, mighty ocean! Leviathan Rush!" Luca summoned an aquatic serpent from behind him and directed it to Shadow.

"O demented palms… unleash!" Lucille chanted. "Negative Gate!"

"Earth that heeds my bidding… Consume all with your mighty fangs!" Arche chanted. "Ground Dasher!"

Lucille's spell opened up a rift beneath the Elemental Spirit and tendrils emerged and struck Shadow. Arche's spell created a chasm along with Lucille's rift and sending out rising and falling stalagmites, further dealing damage to Shadow.

"Here goes!" Vanille prepared her bowsword into its' bow form and shot an arrow up. "Time to go! Magical Rain!" Vanille weaved signs, turning the single arrow into a shower of pink arrows and it rained down on Shadow just as the physical attackers backed off to avoid getting struck by the arrows.

"NOt bAd…" Shadow said through the assault. "BUT… ThIS is NoT WhAt I AM tRuLY capaBle Of…" Shadow clenched its' nails and suddenly let loose a shockwave, sending all of the attackers away from a distance.

"W-Woooah!" Kite rolled back and got on his feet quickly.

"Yikes…" Luca floated beside Kite and Alvin. "Shadow's taking a toll on us…"

"… _Crystallizer?"_ The Sapphire spoke in Luca.

"Hm? What is it?" Luca said. "And just call me Luca."

"Who're you talking to-Oh, right." Alvin said. "We can't hear the other Crystals."

" _Alright… Lu…ca. If you feel that our current Crystallus isn't favourable against the enemy, you can choose to change your Crystallus."_ The blue crystal told Luca _. "You simply have to form a pact with other crystals, like me."_

"Huh!? Really!?" Luca said.

" _Yes. Let's just get another Crystal. It has been some time since I actually spoke with the others…"_ Sapphire said. Following Sapphire's order, Luca turned to Alvin. "Hey, Alvin! Can I borrow your Amber?"

"What? Just don't think of any crazy ideas." Alvin said, digging through a coat pocket and taking out his Crystal before he threw it to Luca. "Thanks!" Luca said. Alvin nodded before he rushed along with Kite to keep Shadow at bay.

"… _What? What? What do you want now-Hm?"_ The Amber spoke with a monotone voice. " _Oh. It isn't the mercenary. …Hm? Cakeo, what're you doing here?"_

"…Your name's Cakeo?" Luca asked Sapphire in surprise.

" _I'm not called Cakeo! It's Caeruleum! CAE-RU-LE-UM! Got it, Terra!?"_ The Sapphire shrieked.

" _Who's this squirt, Cakeo?"_ Terra asked.

" _This, is the Crystallizer."_ Caeruleum explained. _"He is the light of the salvation! And stop calling me Cakeo!"_

" _Crystallizer? Really…"_ Terra doesn't sound impressed at all. _"You're telling me that this squirt is the Crystallizer?"_

" _Yes. And I want you to show him the extent of his abilities by forming a pact with him like I did."_ Caeruleum.

" _Is that so… Do I have to recite the whole pact?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Fine… Ahem! Let us form this pact with unwavering conviction through the earth's heartbeat. Should you accept this duty, recite your pledge and–"_ They heard a shout as an attack was immediately heading towards their way. Narrowing avoiding it, Terra decided to end it. _"–Blah blah blah!"_ Terra finished.

" _Blah blah blah!?"_ Caeruleum exclaimed.

" _Just agree with the pact and let's get this over with before I try to recite it again and let this squirt get blasted to bits."_ Terra said.

"Luca! We need a hand here!" Alvin shouted.

"Okay! I'm coming!" Luca grabbed Terra. "I accept your pact!" With that, he glowed again, now this time with a lighter brown glow. While he advanced to Shadow as the glow disappeared, Luca's new appearance consisted of the same clear white robes, this time with light brown shadings which his eye colour followed the colour scheme. His trident from earlier is now a large axe. "Winding Throw!" Luca spun the axe and sent it spinning at Shadow, the spinning axe slashed Shadow before it spun back to Luca, who grabbed it immediately and he slashed at it once more.

"Good to see you again, Luca!" Alvin loaded his gunblades' barrels. "Time to kick more ass!"

"Let's go!" Kite rolled forward and gave a spin kick at Shadow.

'We'll support you!" Arche said as magic circles formed around her, Lucille and Vanille as they prepared spells.

'Everyone…' Cress had been watching them throughout the entire time. And here she is, doing nothing but feel shattered over Nat. She had been there for him for a long time, and he had sacrificed himself to protect her… What should she do…?

"Cress… Please. Look at me." Heart said. Cress turned slowly to Heart. "It's very painful to see someone you care for a lot die in front of you, I can understand that…" Heart told Cress. "But, do you really think that they would want to see you mop around in grief?"

"I…" Cress mumbled.

"Please… Open your hands…" Heart said. Cress did so, and she stared at the stone. The stone which was the only thing that remained when Nat died. "I don't know about what this stone is…" Heart said. "But… I'm certain that Nat left it for you… It's like… he wants you to realize something." Cress continued to stare at the stone, hearing a faint voice from out of nowhere.

" _You're wrong… You're not alone… You never have been, Cress… Around you… you have… friends. You have all of them!"_ Cress knew who was the owner of that voice. She looked forward at everyone fighting Shadow. Cress clasped the stone tightly in her hands and she closed her eyes. She reopened them, this time with a fierce look.

"Dammit!" Alvin backed off after one of Shadow's attacks. "Even with another Crystallus, we still have trouble with this Elemental Spirit!"

Kite landed beside Alvin. "What do we do?"

Luca huffed. "We just can't give up… not now…" Shadow raised its' arms. "I COmmenD YoU On mAKIng IT tHiS FAR…" Shadow said. "HoWEvER… YOU UnDEReSTIMateD my POWEr." It created a shower of black spheres, directing them to attack. "Ngh…" Alvin crossed his gunblades to shield himself. Luca and Kite stared at the spheres heading towards them.

Lightning suddenly rained down, striking and destroying the spheres. "Cress!" Everyone turned around. The Ampharos was back on her feet. Her sledgehammer was held tightly with both arms. Her expression was a glare. A glare of resolve. "If you got time to dillydally and look behind," Cress told Luca. "focus on the battle and let's end this once and for all!"

"Oh…" Luca nodded. "Right! Let's go, everyone!"

"Yeah!" Kite and Alvin dashed along with Luca to strike Shadow.

"Now… let's go!" Cress held the stone and she was soon bathed in a bright glow. When the glow disappeared, Cress suddenly had white wool fluttering back from her head and there was wool all over her tail, which also had red orbs attached to the wool. Her ears were suddenly swirled around from their conical shape. There was power flowing through her. It's like some sort of hyper-energy. A power that strengthened her resolution and fierce determination.

"HM?" Shadow noticed Cress's new appearance.

"Get outta my way, everyone!" Cress held her sledgehammer, and she suddenly dashed madly towards Shadow. "WHOA!" Luca, Kite and Alvin noticed her and rolled away to avoid being trampled over by her.

"Hah!" Cress struck her electrical-imbued sledgehammer at Shadow, and it actually rooted Shadow off from the ground. The Elemental Spirit was thrown to the wall, cracking it entirely. "This is it!" Cress slammed her sledgehammer down, creating a burst of electricity. Raising it up, several lightning bolts travelled past Shadow and electrocuted it. "Divine lightning, come forth! Strike my foes down with your heavenly thunder! You're done! Transcendent…" She directed all of the lightning bolts around Shadow before they suddenly closed up and created an electrical explosion. "…Justice!"

As the explosion vanished, everyone stared in awe. Cress huffed and puffed, looking at the defeated Shadow lying on the ground. "I-Incredible…" Luca mumbled as he reverted back to normal. "What is that!?"

"This… is Mega Evolution…" Arche mumbled.

"Wow…" Vanille said.

"Cress…" Heart said, walking to her friend. Then, Cress suddenly dropped to her knee. "Cress!?" Heart rushed towards Cress as a glow began to emanate from the Ampharos. When it vanished, Cress was back to her normal self. "Are you alright!?" Heart said, preparing the incantation for Cure.

"Y-Yeah… I-I'm fine…" Cress said.

"Thank Arceus…" Heart sighed in relief. Shadow suddenly got up and it towered over her and Cress.

"Not again!" Luca said.

"Jeez! And we're all tired!" Alvin groaned.

"…I AckNOWLedGE YoUR STRenGTH."

"What did you say?" Arturo said.

"I ACKnoWLeDGe yOUr StREnGTH." Shadow repeated. "AND As NOrMAl, I AM GRanTEd to FORM A pACt wiTH YoU, ThE WaRRIOrs whO HavE DeFEAteD mE."

"A pact… with an Elemental Spirit…?" Arche said. "This is incredible… An Elemental Spirit is very powerful… it is unwise not to reject this offer."

"Is thAT Not YOUR TruE inTENtioNS, AMPhaROs?" Shadow faced Cress.

"Huh? Really?" Everyone else was surprised.

"You got me." Cress said.

"THEN… I shall GRanT You MY POWer…" Shadow glowed a fine purple, and it started to shrink in size as the glow intensified. After the glow vanished, a spherical purple stone was afloat in front of the party. "Is that… Shadow now…?" Arturo asked as he examined the sphere.

"Yeah." Cress said. "Shadow has reverted to a summonstone." She walked up and took the stone in her hands.

"Cress, why were you searching for Shadow, though?" Arche asked.

"It's… a long story." Cress answered. "If you want to, I can tell you guys all about it. But now's not the time."

"But… alright." Arche nodded.

* * *

It was difficult to traverse through the entire labyrinth of Darkness Ruins again. Defeating Shadow would have reduced the darkness was one of the major misconceptions that everyone had. Now, they struggled through the entire dungeon, but of course, they succeeded in reaching the entrance, eventually.

"Finally! We're out!" Luca said.

"Thank goodness…" Lucille said.

"I'm gonna crash at an inn, you guys know where to find me." Alvin said, stretching his arms and ears. "That entire dungeon-traversing had these bones all worn out, right?"

"So, what?" Taro sneered. "You gonna laze around, grandpa?"

"Hey! I'm not THAT old!" Alvin said.

"Everyone is tired…" Arche said. "We should all take a rest. Who knows what we'll do tomorrow?"

"Right." Kite said.

Everyone left the mansion and just after they reached the Middle District, Cress stopped walking. "Hey, guys…" Cress said. "I'd just want to check on something. I'll meet you back at the inn later, alright?"

"Alright." Arche nodded. "Let's go back to the inn, everyone." After they watched Cress head to the east side, the party headed down the stairs. All but one. Heart Burkwood. The Audino looked at the direction where Cress had headed off to before she followed the path. Eventually, she found Cress gazing at the sky on the bridge, arms rested on the barrier.

"Cress?" Heart said.

Cress turned around, appearing surprised. "Heart?"

"What're you looking at?" Heart asked as she walked to Cress's side.

"Oh, it's… nothing." Cress looked down at the river under the bridge. Heart stared at the river along with Cress, silence filling the air. Neither of them spoke about anything, feeling occasional breezes as the environment apparently demanded them to speak. And speak did Heart do.

"Cress… you still haven't let go of Nat… have you?" Heart said.

Cress was silent for a while, until she nodded. "…Yeah, I still can't let go of him." She said. "It's really tough… even for me…"

"I… understand, Cress…" Heart sighed. "The day my parents died in war, I thought that I had come to the end of the world… until I met you, Cress. You were very strong even back then… Eventually, through the time I spent journeying with you, I finally let go of my parents' passing."

Cress nodded. "Although, for my case… I ended up causing deaths because of my recklessness and foolishness… That heavy burden… It still haunts me…" She said with a weak smile. "Haha… I was supposed to help protect others… But I done the opposite, and caused deaths…"

Heart looked down. She had learnt about Cress's entire story. She could understand the pain Cress could be suffering. But how Cress herself will cope with this pain, Heart could only wonder.

"…But you're right." Cress said. "Clinging on to my past will just bring more pain. It's time that I make a big change. One change where I'd feel free from these burdens…"

"Cress…" Heart said as Cress turned around to face her.

"Until I finally let go of my past, I want to be by your side." Cress said. "And I also want you to be by my side as well. That way, we can care for each other…" Cress placed an arm on her other arm and continued. "Will that be okay for you, Heart?" Heart could tell that Cress was serious about this. This was no matter to joke about.

"Yes. I promise." Heart said. Cress nodded and she suddenly embraced Heart in a soft hug. Heart appeared to be quite surprised, not expecting Cress to do something like this, but she too had her arms wrapped around Cress in response.

"Thank you…" Cress said softly.

"It's alright…" Heart said. "That's what's friends are for, aren't they?"

"Mmn." Cress nodded and they released each other from their hug. "We should head back, shouldn't we?" Cress said.

"Yes, we should." Heart said.

The two headed back to the inn where everyone agreed to stay for the night. As they entered the building, Cress and Heart were greeted by the party eating nearby.

"Phay'aru fraku! (They're back!)" Luca said through a full mouth.

Alvin whistled.

"What?" Cress said.

"I see where this is coming to…" Alvin said.

"Shut it, Alvin." Cress frowned. "Don't think that I have forgotten what happened in Darkness Ruins."

"Alvin. You have to watch it." Heart said.

"I'm just joking. What? Never heard a joke before?" Alvin chuckled.

"Lucy!" Taro said. "You gotta eat a lot now! If you wanna get bazongas like Heart's!"

"T-Taro… I told you to s-stop saying that…" Lucille said with a heavy blush. "I-It's making everyone u-uncomfortable…" Cress's arm shot to her chest. Then, she hung her head low. Taro had hit one of her weak point just from that line.

"Cress, is something wrong?" Heart asked, noticing Cress's sudden change in behaviour.

"Oh, nothing's wrong…" Cress said.

 **Chapter 37 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Mystic Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ranger's Blade (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Epee (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Mithril Slugger (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Priestess Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Kresnik+1 (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Graduate (A talented student who has gone through education to come this far…)**

 **Weapon: Brass Boots (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Pink Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **What a chapter… We had to say goodbye to Nat… But Cress clearly shone throughout the battle. Even when she has gone through a lot… What will happen next?**

 **And I'd like to say "Aww" on the Cress and Heart scene at Dragsa.**

 **Skit: Summonstones**

 **Luca: "Cress, can I ask you something?"**

 **Cress: "Hm? What, Luca?"**

 **Luca: "You said that that stone was a summonstone… What is it?"**

 **Cress: "It's not that complicated… But a summonstone is basically… a method of bringing an Elemental Spirit to fight with you."**

 **Luca: (amazed) "Woah… that still sounds incredible…"**

 **Luca: (thinking) 'Come to think of it… Back at Mt. Lavaggio, Elazul and I faced Efreet. I don't remember much from the battle, though… I wonder what happened?'**

 **Cress: (confused) "Luca, is something wrong?"**

 **Luca: (nervous smile) "No! Nothing's wrong! Now, can we get out of here before we meet more ghosts?"**

 **Cress: (nervous) "You just HAD to say "ghosts", didn't you!?"**


	41. Chapter 38:Night of nightmares

**Tales of Faith**

 **Past Arc – Destiny**

 **Chapter 38: Night of nightmares**

" _Sigh…"_

 _It was after another day at school. I was lazing on the bed, staring at the ceiling like I usually do. I stretched my arm. "Wonder what tomorrow will be like?" I mumbled to myself. I decided to try and close my eyes to sleep for through the night._

 _But, strangely, I could not sleep. "…Huh?" I turned my head. The moon was looking strangely eerie tonight... I had never seen something like this before… I got off from the bed and headed out of my room. Everything felt so… ominous. For every step I took, I started to feel dizzy. It was dark, I am sure of, but I'm feeling something else… which is what?_

 _Eventually, I found myself at the first floor of the dorms in the lounge. I took a look around the place. It was just as normal… I don't see anything strange… But even so… I still can't help but feel uneasy… I took more steps forward from the stairs until I reached the front doors leading outside. Strangely, I found my hand drifting to the doorknob, turning it and the door slowly swung open. Looking outside, I noticed that the sky was very dark now. I don't even see the moon now… What had happened? It was up there just minutes ago… I also noticed through the darkness, one of the students living at the dorm was standing idly out here._

" _Hey…" I called out to the student. "What're you doing out here?"_

 _The student didn't respond to me. I was about to walk towards the student to ask them more closely until the student's figure was suddenly knocked down on the ground. "WH-WHAT THE HECK!" I fell back on the steps while a black… thing feasted on the student. The student didn't even shout for help or in pain. It just stood there, letting that creature devour it…_

 _I could feel my body entirely shaking… this was fear, right? My mind wasn't working very well, anyway… I don't think that I could have come up with any sensible thoughts until that thing apparently turned to me. At that point, I'm sure that the student was dead, and I thought that thing was going to come for me next. Everything in me told me to run for it. I immediately turned and scampered into the dorms, slamming the doors the moment I got in. I slumped against the door, breathing heavily._

" _What's with all the noise down there…? Some of us are trying to sleep…" Someone spoke. I turned around to see Reiga walking down the stairs rather groggily. "…Huh? Were you making this racket, Rose?" The Infernape questioned me._

" _R-Reiga!" I said. "There's something out there!"_

" _What…?" Reiga yawned. "You must be seeing things…"_

" _I'm not!" I insisted. "I saw that… thing! It ate one of our dormmates… and…!"_

" _Hey… Calm down…" Reiga showed a hand at me. "I'll just go outside and check. There's nothing out there." Reiga went towards the door and pushed it open… and he immediately turned and slammed the door shut, slumping against the door like I did earlier._

" _What the hell was that thing!?" Reiga asked me._

" _How should I know!?" I said. "But I'm sure that wasn't a Pokémon, was it?"_

" _Either way…" Reiga said. "We should look for someone!"_

 _Agreeing with Reiga's idea, the two of us dashed up to the stairs. Hopefully, the thing wouldn't break the door down… "Over here!" Reiga headed to a random door. "Hey!" I said, rushing to stop him. "That isn't-!" But he had already opened the door._

" _What the!?" He suddenly shouted. I looked inside… and I saw something bizarre. It was one of the dormmates' room. Well, the room isn't bizarre. But who was inside the room… I didn't see anyone in there. Actually, there was a coffin resting on the bed._

" _This is messed up on so many levels…" Reiga mumbled as he stared at the coffin. "When was this here…? Is anyone inside?" He tapped the coffin. There was no response. He reached for the sides, trying to open the coffin. After a while, he stopped searching. "There's nothing! I can't open it!" he said._

" _Huh?" I said._

" _Hey, I'm trying to sleep here!" A voice shouted from a wall. I recognized the voice. "Cipher!" Cipher LaVeda was one of the dormmates living on the same floor as Reiga did._

" _Rose? …This isn't your room, right?" Cipher spoke from the other side of the wall. "I'm pretty sure that you're at the upper floors."_

" _Well–" I started before Reiga suddenly stopped me. "He isn't gonna believe us." Reiga said._

"… _Ugh. Never mind. I'm just having a dream. So… good night." Cipher said before we could hear an audible muffled scream of exasperation. He mustn't have had enough sleep, I suppose._

… _Wait. He's still awake? Does that mean he isn't in a coffin? I wanted to ask him that, but it looks like he's now sleeping. I wouldn't want to experience the extent of his fury… like I did once when I walked into his room whilst he was…_

" _Hey!" Reiga snapped me out of my thoughts. "We should go upstairs! Maybe someone could help us!"_

 _We heard something shatter. "What was that!?" I said._

" _I'm not staying here! We should go up now!" Reiga yanked me out of the room and we dashed up the stairs. We went past the third floor up to the fourth floor. I slumped against the wall, breathing heavily. Ms. Colette was the only one who lived on the fourth floor… but when Reiga checked, we found that the door was locked._

" _Not even her…? What now…?" Reiga muttered._

 _We heard something shatter. "I think it's getting closer!" I said._

" _I don't know where else to go! Maybe we should get to the rooftop!" Reiga said and he headed up the stairs. Once again, I had to run to catch up with him. He was the first to rush to the door and opened it. He waited for me to head out before he slammed the door shut._

" _Huff…Huff…" Reiga slumped against the door. "We should be safe for now…"_

 _We heard a loud thumping sound. Reiga immediately backed off from the door. "Is it coming from there!?" I said._

 _Reiga was sweating. "I don't believe it…" he mumbled, turning around. "It's climbing up the walls!?"_

 _I turned around to where Reiga was looking at. A black hand came into view, clutching the edge. I think 'claw' would be a better term to describe it. Soon, something came into view even from this pitch-blackness. The thing that I saw earlier… It only had a set of claws, a head and a torso. It had no legs; just a tail. That creature let out a snarl after it got on the rooftop._

" _Okay… No more playing around…" Reiga began to mutter. "I can do this… I just need to… yeah… Just need to conjure it… And we'll be fine…" I look at Reiga, wondering what he is going to do. Then, I found out. Out of nowhere, some sort of blade appeared in front of him. He grabbed it and swung it back. Although… I've never seen Reiga this panicked before… Even if he has a weapon, he still looks panicked against this thing._

" _Hyah!" Reiga shouted and he charged at the thing. He swung the blade down and the creature blocked it with both arms. It then lashed out its' tail at him, knocking him away._

" _Agh!" Reiga rolled back and he hit the wall hard. He continued to lay there for enough time for me to tell that he has lost consciousness. The creature now eyed me… well, at least I'm thinking it was… It had no eyes, I had just realized. The creature charged at me. "AAAH!" I screamed, raising my hands to shield myself for the incoming attack._

 _The creature suddenly let out a cry, backing away slightly. I lowered my arms slowly to see a sword floating just in front of me. Strange. I didn't even summon it. Is it like… some sort of defense? No… I shouldn't think. I should act right now. With somehow grown courage, I grabbed the sword and faced the thing._

" _I'm your opponent now!" I said._

 _The creature lunged at me. I immediately moved left and lunged forward just as the creature landed and slashed it. The creature gave out a cry and it lunged at me again. I stepped back to avoid it this time and it continued to lunge at me. Soon, I parried one of the blows before I countered with an upward slice. Light began to surround me and I noticed something. Other than the sword, I saw several other weapons floating around me. Wow… just the two of them will do… I released the sword and now I grabbed the spear and threw it at the thing. What I felt next was that I was suddenly near the creature just as my spear landed. I leapt up into the air, changing weapons again, now to a large sword and I swung it down at the creature. The creature writhed for a while before it stopped moving. I huffed and the weapon disappeared from my arm. I should just get Reiga up and bring him down to my room to help him rest._

" _Don't worry! I'm coming!" A voice shouted from the door. I turned to the door. The door swung open and someone charged into the rooftop holding two large rings. But I recognized who that was…_

" _Ms. Colette!?" I said._

" _Rose…?" Ms. Colette appeared to be surprised just as I am. "Ah! Look out!"_

 _I turned around and saw the creature just in front of me. I couldn't escape this time. The creature's nails dug into my arm, tearing metal downwards as I shouted in pain and shock. "No!" Ms. Colette threw one of her rings at the creature. The ring dug through the creature, tearing right through it. The creature had one thin hole through its body before it dissolved into the air like mist._

 _Something fizzled and I felt the whole world spinning as I fell forward._

 **Chapter 38 End**

* * *

 **What events… What was that phenomenon…? Why did the moon disappear? Why were many of the students replaced by coffins? Why were Rose, Reiga, Cipher and Ms. Co–Colette all awake only in this night? These questions may remain unanswered until the next chapter…**


	42. Chapter 39:To the Norm Islands!

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 39: To the Norm Islands!**

* * *

"Again… That dream…" Luca mumbled. He laid on the bed, looking at his hand. The rays of the sun soon shone on him, prompting him to turn around and change his position to sitting. 'I wonder… who's Rose…? Why do I always have those dreams from his perspective…? Oh… that Ms. Colette he has been talking about… I think she looks exactly like Vanille…' Luca wondered.

Luca remained on the bed before shaking his head. "I shouldn't keep thinking about this." Luca got off from the bed. "After all, we just have to search for the other Crystal Bearers!" He dressed himself in his robes and hat before he headed out of the inn's room. He met Alvin along the way to get breakfast. Soon, they met up with the rest of the group who're already having breakfast.

"They're here." Kite said, noticing Luca and Alvin.

"LUCAAAAAA-KUUUUUN~!" Taro suddenly shot from the table and chomped on Luca's head. Lucille hid herself under the table. Alvin let out a small chuckle. "That was a great wake-up call, right, Luca?" He said in a snarky tone.

"Ymmph rmmph, Ammmphi… (Yeah right, Alvin…)" Luca said, his voice muffled in Taro. He grabbed Taro's body and began to pull the doll out of his head.

"Where're we going to now?" Arturo asked Arche.

"That…" Arche began. "I haven't decided on where to go next. Then, again… None of us knows where are the rest of the Crystal Bearers…"

"You're right about that…" Heart said.

"Oh, I remember…" Arche turned to Cress. "Cress, are you ready to tell your story about Shadow?"

"I'm all ears." Alvin said.

"I want to listen to it, too!" Vanille said.

"Shadow…" Cress looked down at the table just as Luca succeeded in yanking Taro out of his head. "…Okay, I'll tell you all about it." Cress breathed in before she began her recollection on that day… "It was when…"

* * *

" _Knights of Dragsa…" An Aegislash said at an assembled group of knights. He was the father of Grast, who was still a knight-in-training at the Kingdom of Namdiascar. "We have received word of a relic that had been found recently in our kingdom. Nothing is known about this newly-discovered area, so I ask the group with this assignment to exercise extreme caution whilst in the area. This group of knights will be led by Captain LaVeda. LaVeda?"_

" _Over here, General." An Ampharos knight appeared from the assembled group._

" _Clenre. Listen to my instructions very carefully:" The Aegislash said. "When you enter the relic, you must be on your guard at all times. Gather information about this area, and once you think you have sufficient information for us, leave the ruins immediately, understand? If necessary, use force if any life-form found is hostile."_

" _I understand, General." The Ampharos bowed down. "You can leave this to me."_

 _The Aegislash then called out the names of the knights assigned to this task. The remaining knights who did not have their names called were dispersed for their assignments. "Dad? What was that about?" A voice called out to Clenre. Clenre turned around to see a Flaffy running up to him. "It's another assignment, Cress." Clenre said._

" _Then… can I come along this time?" Cress asked._

" _You?" Clenre said, putting a hand under his chin. "You do realize that this assignment may actually be more difficult than it sounds. On top of that, you're still training here. And, you're my daughter. It's not that I don't trust you to follow me in dangerous assignments…"_

" _Then, again…" Clenre scratched his head. "I want to see how far you've progressed, but we always handled separate assignments. Maybe… the General could make an exception…" He nodded to himself, heading to look for the General._

 _Cress waited at the same spot, tapping her foot to pass the time. She swung the sheathed sword she had a few times in the air. 'Waiting here's not going to be nice…' Cress thought. 'Maybe I should do something while Dad handles his.'_

 _And so, Cress practiced her sword skills, swinging at the training dummy in the area. She had always traded power over speed, and it was proven as the gashes in the dummy were cut deeper. All the time, she had always idolized her father and wanted to become a strong knight who could protect others. While she sliced fiercely at the dummy, she noticed her father walking up to her._

" _Dad? What's up?" She asked, halting her assault at the dummy._

" _Cress, I've spoken with the General, and he said he could add you in the squad." Clenre said._

" _Yeah, that's nice!" Cress said._

" _Remember: It's still dangerous there." Clenre reminded. "We don't know what lies in that place."_

" _I can take care of myself just fine, Dad!" Cress rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about me!"_

* * *

"After that…" Cress continued her story. "The knights gathered at the entrance of the ruins to prepare for the excursion. Of course, I wasn't…"

* * *

" _Woah… There're a lot of knights here…" Cress mumbled._

" _I suppose that's to be expected." Clenre said. "This is a new area, after all." He turned to face Cress. "Cress, just be careful while we're in there."_

" _I got it, Dad." Cress nodded._

" _Alright." Clenre looked at the knights. "Everyone, onward!" He led the group of knights into the ruins' entrance. The squad explored through the unknown territory, studying it and recording the environment. The ruins were, quite obviously, dark. If not for Clenre or several other knights that could produce light, the squad would have most likely lost their way in this place. There were some creatures, friendly and hostile, but they were also not normal. It's like the creatures aren't normal living creatures. More like they're… beings from another world… Those weren't the race called Shadows, either._

" _You doing okay, Cress?" Clenre asked as Cress sheathed her sword. "I'm alright, Dad." She said._

 _Clenre looked around the squad. "So far, everyone's all fine now and we've explored plenty of area in this place." Clenre said. "Of course, we still don't know why these ruins appeared."_

" _Okay, then we coul-" Cress walked forward and the floor tile beneath her suddenly cracked. "-WOOOOOAAAAAAH!" Cress shouted as she fell into the hole. "Cress!" Clenre reached for her, but Cress was too far to be caught._

" _Ugh… that hurt…" Cress rubbed her rear. "I think I cracked my ass… Huh…?" Cress looked around. "Where did everyone go?" Cress looked up. "…Oh, that's right. I fell down from there… Looks like I can't get back up from here…" She slowly got up from her fall. "I can only go down this path… I hope I get back to Dad and the rest of the group soon…" Cress said._

 _Cress walked forward through the dark passageway. She did provide some illumination to the surroundings, but the passageway still appeared to be dark to her. She kept wondering how long this passageway went. It seemed to keep extending just to annoy her and whoever may have travelled through this passage. Yet, Cress kept on walking, until the passage finally revealed an exit._

 _Cress walked out of the passageway, stepping into a new and unfamiliar area of the ruins. There was a staircase leading up, so she should head over there to have better chances of reuniting with the squad._

 _But…_

" _WhO'S ThERe?" A distorted voice spoke. Cress looked at the shrine in the room. The voice came from there. Cress approached the shrine slowly. There wasn't anything suspicious about the shrine at all. Cress shrugged her shoulders. "Must be hearing things." Cress said, looking up. She spotted a slit in front of her, floating in the air. The slit expanded to one glowing purple pupil. Two more smaller eyes soon appeared above the single eye. Cress took steps back as a figure began to materialize with the eyes. A towering figure of purple was now in front of Cress._

" _WHy HaVE YoU EnTerED thIs PLAcE?" The figure speaks._

" _Who're you?" Cress said._

" _I Am SHaDoW." The figure answers. "ThE ELEmENtaL SPIRiT Of DarKNesS. HAvE YOU ComE HeRE to CHaLlENgE ME?"_

" _Challenge you?" Cress asks. She pondered for a moment. "You look really strong. But, that's alright! I can face strong foes!"_

" _IS ThAT YouR FinAL DeCISion?" Shadow questions._

* * *

"You challenged Shadow?" Arche said.

"…Yeah." Cress said. "It was too powerful for me… I couldn't do a thing at all… After that…"

* * *

" _Ah!" Cress fell back after a powerful shockwave. She had barely any strength left after the last attack._

" _FOOlISH gIRL…" Shadow said. "You WillINGLy cHAlleNGed ME? Now YoU HaVE To Pay thE PrIcE."_

" _Wh-What price?" Cress said._

 _Shadow said nothing and raised its' claws. A purplish sphere materialized in the air. Shadow swung its' claws down, and the sphere sprouted multiple blades haphazardly, all extending at incredible speeds. "AAAAAH!" Cress covered her head, bracing for her end._

 _Strangely, that did not come._

" _A-A-Are… y-y-you… o-okay…?" It was Clenre's voice._

"… _?" Cress opened her eyes. She could see someone's body over her. Cress tilted her head up. "D-Dad!" She gasped. Clenre had shielded his daughter from several blades, taking the damage. Three blades sunk in his back, leaving cracks through the pierced armor. Cress looked around them. It was the rest of the squad… and they are all scattered around, the same blades from the orb gone right through them. Some knights were hanging in the air from the higher blades. One unfortunate knight was beheaded._

 _Clenre coughed out blood, splattering the red droplets on the floor. "C-Cress… th-this mission is a f-failure… You… h-have to… get… o-out…" Clenre said weakly. "Y-You h-have to… g-go on… w-without… me…"_

 _With those words leaving his mouth, Clenre collapsed. Cress stared at her father, the blades stabbing his back, all of the knights… She turned around slowly, seeing Shadow remaining in its' position. She kept shaking, her eyes falling back to her father's corpse. She clutched her head. They're all dead… and it's because of her…_

" _NOOOOOOOOO!"_

 _The bodies from the ruins were never brought back, so the General arranged a funeral for the deceased and created an altar in memory of the dead from the assignment. The cemetery in Dragsa now carried a heavier sense of grief. Cress sat at the left wall of the cemetery. She had been watching a family passing their prayers to the altar. A father, a mother, and a child. They must have been the family of one of the dead knights. They wouldn't have to come down here… if only she hadn't made that giant mistake._

"… _Who's that?" The child asks, tugging her mother's arm. The mother turned to Cress and shot a cold glare. "…That's the person responsible for your brother's death." Immediately, Cress's face looked down, her face filled with hurt and remorse. She could tell that the family was making their way out of the cemetery even when her head is not raised to look. Cress walked to the altar the family had made their prayers at. She bent down on her knees to the ground, sobbing while she muttered words._

" _I'm so sorry, Dad… I'm so sorry… So sorry… I'm sorry… Sorry…"_

* * *

"…That's all." Cress said. She looked away from everyone, her face looking miserable. The entire party, even Alvin, was silent.

"Cress…" Heart said.

"Don't worry about it." Cress turned back to face everyone, her face brightened slightly. "That was all in the past. I couldn't do anything now to change it. Even if I could go back into the past… it'd definitely cause some sort of fracture in the future… Like, I may never meet any of you…"

"You could be right…" Kite said. "I've believed that changing the past will affect the future… Like… if Nat didn't die… maybe… someone else may have taken his place…"

"You know… Nat's not actually mortal." Cress said. "He is, in fact, a spirit."

"A spirit?" Kite said. "Does that explain why Nat disappeared into particles of light?"

"Yeah… Spirits don't actually "die"." Cress said to Kite. "They just lose the body they're using and they are sent to the spiritual realm. They won't be able to go back to the mortal realm for some time. At least, that's what Nat told me. In some cases, though… spirits may never re-enter the mortal realm."

"That's terrible…" Luca said.

"Don't worry. I believe that Nat is in the spiritual realm, watching over me." Cress said. She turned to notice a waiter passing a beverage to her. "I didn't order this." Cress told the waiter.

"This is from the gentleman over there." The waiter pointed to a table. A black-clothed Zoroark was sitting on a chair at the table. Upon noticing attention, the Zoroark left his seat and walked to the table the party was eating at.

"Wait–You're…" Cress began.

"It's the guy from the train!" Vanille said.

"We meet again, my angel." The Zoroark said to Vanille. "You look more beautiful than ever… So… how about that walk?"

"Oh…" Vanille said.

"…But it looks like you have stolen someone's heart." The Zoroark said.

"Really? But I haven't stolen anything!" Vanille said. The Zoroark's head merely shifted to look at Luca, whose face was quite red while he was sitting adjacent to Vanille. Vanille, however, failed to notice this and remained in blissful confusion.

"That was truly a tragic tale, wasn't it?" The Zoroark said. "I couldn't help but feel heartbroken hearing it." However, the Zoroark showed no sign of gloom. It was pretty hard to believe him based on what he just said, but Cress realized something.

"Wait–You've been hearing me?" Cress said. "From that table over there? Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop on others?"

"You were speaking quite loudly." The Zoroark claimed. "I couldn't help but hear it."

"I wasn't speaking loudly." Cress said. "You must have been able to hear me from afar."

"You know..." The Zoroark placed a nail, as if thoughtfully, under his chin. "You are all interesting. Maybe I could hop on in? You know, join this group?"

"We barely even know you and you expect us to let you join?" Cress said, folding her arms. "I'm not buying it."

"Oh, really?" The Zoroark sounded amused. "From what I see, before you got into this group, this trio–" He pointed at Luca, Vanille and Arche. "–Accepted the rest of them without any hesitation."

"How can you tell?" Luca said.

"Have you been… watching us?" Arche said.

"It'll be rude of you to think that I am spying on you." The Zoroark said, pushing his hat down slightly. "There are several more theories you can just draw from someone keeping a close eye on you."

"I still can't trust him." Cress said. "We can't let him join, you guys."

"Err…"

"My. Then–" The Zoroark waved his arms back. And he hit something. "Oi." The Heatmor hit by the Zoroark turned. "What was that for?"

"Oh, dear." The Zoroark sighed. "If I said it was an accident, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

"We should move away…" Heart said. "They're getting very close to the table…" Everyone else silently nodded and left the table.

"You just whack someone and expect me to accept your apology, huh!?" The Heatmor said. "Grow up! Life ain't easy!"

"Of course, life isn't easy." The Zoroark said. "If it was, we would have won every battle now, would it?"

"Why don't we put that theory to the test?" The Heatmor waved a claw forward. An Eelektross, a Tangrowth and a Pangoro soon arrived behind the Heatmor. "Oh, my. Four against one? That's not very nice." The Zoroark said. The other Pokémon in the inn soon began to clear away from the fight that was about to ensue.

"I told you life ain't easy, so deal with it." The Heatmor said.

"Fine, then… promise me you'll all try your best, all right?" The Zoroark said.

"We sure will…" The Heatmor said, and without warning, the Heatmor suddenly attacked with a Fire Lash at the Zoroark. The Zoroark somehow, but miraculously, dodged the attack with ease even from that sudden attack.

"Attacking your foe when they aren't ready isn't nice, you know?" The Zoroark sighs. The Heatmor grunts and charges at the Zoroark. The Zoroark grabs the Heatmor by the arm and whirled around, causing the Heatmor to momentarily lose his balance before the Zoroark gave a kick, causing him to hit a table.

But the Zoroark didn't even relax; he moved his head to dodge an incoming fist from the Pangoro. Then he made a cartwheel to the right to dodge the Tangrowth's attack as well. Without halting, he jumped to dodge several electric bolts from the Eelektross. As he descended, he noticed the Pangoro and Tangrowth both swinging an arm towards him during his fall. "Hm." The Zoroark twisted his body, barely squeezing through the gap between the two Pokémon's arms. Just as the Pangoro and Tangrowth noticed this, the Zoroark swung his foot at the Tangrowth, causing it to stagger before the Zoroark landed on his feet and immediately back-flipped into the air where the Pangoro was about to land a fist, but it ended up hitting the unfortunate Tangrowth, causing it to fall at the table behind it and cracking the table beneath its' weight. "Sorry!" The Pangoro said before turning around, remembering that the Zoroark should be behind it. It saw the Zoroark just one moment before the Pangoro let out a small gasp, doubling over in pain and clutching its' groin. The Zoroark withdraws his leg which he used to kick between the Pangoro's legs before he punched the Pangoro once in the face, knocking it out of commission. The Eelektross soon charges to the Zoroark, only to realize that the Zoroark is no longer there.

"Wh-Where did he go!?" The Eelektross demanded, turning around. He received a light tap on his shoulder, prompting him to turn around. The Zoroark just waved his paw before he gave a swift jab, two spinning kicks before ending with a forceful punch to the belly. The Zoroark calmly shakes his own hand as the Eelektross collapses on the floor.

"Oh, my." The black-clothed Zoroark said, spreading his arms dismissively. "You were trying your best? I never realized." The Heatmor soon recovers and staggers to his feet, far from the Zoroark's back. He quickly charged in to attack the Zoroark while he didn't notice him… or so he thought. The Zoroark just grabbed the claw and redirected him to the left. The Heatmor thankfully stops just in time from ramming to a wall. Just as he turned around, something was flying towards him and he raised his claws to block it. The projectile did harmless damage and the Heatmor lowered his claws to notice what the projectile was.

"A car–" The Heatmor began to say before the Zoroark snapped his claws. The next thing that happened was the Heatmor getting blasted away by a purplish explosion and sent spiralling into the wall behind him.

The dust coming from the damaged wall soon settled down as the Heatmor dropped and landed on the floor. "Oh dear… I thought you did your best as well." The Zoroark sighs. He walked up to Luca and the others. "Well? Am I ready to join?"

"Er…" Luca began before Cress cut him off. "Even if your fighting skills are better than normal, I still can't trust you." Cress said. "Stop bothering us and go."

"What a shame… even if I present… this?" The Zoroark drew out a gem from his pocket. One black-coloured crystal.

"He's a Crystal Bearer!?" Cress said.

"Ah, so that's what you call these users?" The Zoroark said. "You do seem like a "Crystal Bearer"… So… will you allow me to follow you or not?"

"That–" Cress said.

"Sure." Luca said. "We could use a hand. What's your name?"

"Luca!?" Cress shouted.

"Call me Raven, if you please." The Zoroark said. "That's all."

"Only "Raven" as your name? That's just like Alvin!" Taro said.

"I'm looking forward to go with all of you." Raven smiles. "Come on, go out. I'll catch up later." Raven ushers the rest of the party out of the inn. He sighs with a smile and turns around to meet the Heatmor.

"Hey. We did what you asked us to do." The Heatmor said. "Now pay us."

"With most pleasure." Raven passes a heavy pouch to the Heatmor. The Heatmor opens up the pouch and takes a look inside. "…7,000 Poké just for this act…" The Heatmor mumbled.

"Hm? You thought that I would go back on my word?" The Zoroark says.

"N-No, not at all…" The Heatmor said while the Pangoro, Eelektross and Tangrowth gathered behind him. "But you gave us a hard beating."

"I told you guys to try your best, didn't I?" Raven said.

"…" The Heatmor said nothing.

"Well, I'd be off then." Raven tilts his hat before he left the inn. He walked to the rest of the Crystal Bearers. "Where should we go next?" Luca asked Arche.

"I don't know…" Arche said.

"Might I suggest… the Frever Snowfields in the Norm Islands?" Raven suggests.

"The Frever Snowfields?" Arturo said.

"I believe that a Crystal Bearer might be there in this place." Raven explained.

"Just where is your evidence?" Cress asked.

"My, you are not one to trust others, aren't you?" Raven sighs.

"Cress, come on, let it go." Heart told Cress. "…" Cress looked away.

"Anyway… how about I say it's intuition?" Raven said. "I believe we can find a Crystal Bearer there and I am taking that risk."

"Well… alright." Luca said, shivering. 'Another cold place…' He thought.

"Right, then… let's go!" Raven said. He turned to Arche, Vanille, Lucille, Cress and Heart. "After you, ladies."

"I'm really starting to hate this guy…" Cress grumbled.

 **Chapter 39 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Mystic Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ranger's Blade (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Epee (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Mithril Slugger (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Priestess Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Kresnik+1 (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Graduate (A talented student who has gone through education to come this far…)**

 **Weapon: Brass Boots (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Pink Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Raven – Shady Guy (Who is this strange individual? Everything seems to give off an air of suspicion…)**

 **Weapon: Playing Cards (Cards)**

 **Now, Raven makes his entrance! A true snarky guy who likes to joke and toy around and flirt! This party will have quite a time with him…**

 **So… they're heading to the Norm Islands next… what will await them this time…?**


	43. Chapter 40:The Duke's Son

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 40: The Duke's Son**

"Hmm~…" In an exquisite kitchen, a Beartic is eyeing an operated oven. The Beartic is dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt with black buttons worn underneath a brown vest with a large collar on top and a tail at the back. He also had pants coloured in dark green and a set of brown shoes. Delicious scents wafts from the oven as it is baking something. The Beartic stares at the oven while his paw hovers above a button before he presses it, switching off the oven. He prepared two mitts over his paws before he slides the oven door down. Steam pours out of the oven while the Beartic moves his paws inside and he brought out a delicious-looking pastry. He settles the tray at a counter, removing a mitt and hanging it in front of him. He takes some sort of topping, spreading it in a circle around the top of the pastry. He places the topping back at the shelf before reaching for another, this time sprinkling it inside the circle made by the previous topping. He nods to himself, taking the second mitt off and hanging it along with the first mitten.

The Beartic placed the pastry on a plate before he held the plate and headed out of the kitchen. 'Irvine'll like this just like usual.' The Beartic thought as he walked down the hallway.

"Master Irvine!" a voice shouted in the hallway. The Beartic looked up to see a maid dashing along the corridor ahead of him.

The Beartic sighs. "Again?"

* * *

 _ **The Frever Snowfields**_

"R-Remind me… Wh-Why are we h-here a-again…?"

Luca's entire body was shivering, even beneath the coat he's wearing as he asked that question. He, along with Arche, Vanille, Arturo, Alvin, Kite, Lucille, Taro, Cress, Heart and Raven, were now at the Norm Islands. They had taken travel by boat from Dragsa to a quaint port in the Norm Islands. Right now, they were in the Frever Snowfields, which was experiencing a harsh blizzard…

"Raven said that there should be a Crystal Bearer in Frever Snowfields, didn't he?' Arche said.

"Of course, it is just intuition." Raven said. "But then, maybe I might be wrong."

"How much further until we find the next Crystal Bearer?" Vanille wondered.

"No. Idea." Raven answered.

"L-Lucille… a-are you okay?" Kite asked, shivering slightly. He adjusted Lucille's coat slightly to help her keep slightly warm.

"Th-Thank you…" Lucille said softly.

"Kite-kun always cares for us~…" Taro said, snuggled up in Lucille's coat. Kite cleared his throat loudly.

Raven chuckled. "Kite, are you sure you aren't actually Lucille's elder brother, by chance?"

"I'm not." Kite said, turning to meet Raven. It just dawned on him that there was something different about Raven. "…You aren't wearing a coat, Raven." Kite said. "In fact, everyone else but you are wearing coats."

"Y-Y-You d-don't f-f-feel cu-cuh-cold?" Luca said.

"Oh no." Raven chuckled. "I am, in fact, freezing like the rest of you."

"Right…" Cress rolled her eyes.

"U-U-U-Un-p-p-p-p…" Arturo kept shivering continuously while he sputtered soon-to-be uncoherent words through a clattering mouth.

"Let's all keep going." Heart said. "Arturo and Luca'll probably suffer from hypothermia at this rate."

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Yeah…" Luca hastily nodded.

It was considered to be brutal for the Crystal Bearers' journey through the Frever Snowfields while a blizzard is occurring. Luca or Arturo, or both of them, may stop walking because of the sheer temperatures and halt the group to warm them up. Somewhat, Luca's too cold to use the Sorcerer's Ring, so turns were taken to operate the Sorcerer's Ring to provide both Luca and Arturo. Eventually, the blizzard finally died down, and it was less cold in their current area.

"The blizzard's gone!" Vanille said happily, drawing her coat's hood off.

"Vanille, don't take off your hood!" Luca spoke out.

Vanille turned around with a confused look. "Huh? Why not, Luca?" She asked.

"W-Well… it's c-cold…" Luca quickly lowered his head to hide the blush forming on his face. "A-And… y-you m-might catch a c-c-cold…"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" Vanille told Luca.

"Let's see… judging by the sun… it's afternoon, maybe 4 o'clock roughly." Arche looked up at the skies.

"Is there a town or city nearby?" Kite asked. His left claw shot to block Taro from biting his head, the latter is currently now gnawing at his claw. Lucille kept looking down as the scene continued.

"Hmm…" Arche took out a map from her bag. "If I'm not wrong…" She said, taking a look at the map. "The nearest city from here should be–" Before Arche could continue, a scream pierced through the air.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"H-H-Huh!?" Luca said.

"That was a scream, right…?" Arche said, putting the map back in her bag. "It came from over there!" Arche was the first to move towards where the voice was heard before everyone else followed her. There were several wild creatures surrounding a male Pokémon.

"Hey! What're ya' doin'!? Get away from me, dammit!" The male Pokémon bashed one of the wild beasts' face with his foot.

"We'd better help him!" Vanille said, grabbing her bowsword. Everyone else charged in, with only Luca and Arturo lagging a bit because of the frigid environment. In a short matter of minutes, the beasts were finally slain by the Crystal Bearers.

"T-T-That w-w-w-as c-c-close…" Luca shivered as they turned to the male Pokémon. The male Pokémon is revealed to be an Empoleon. This Empoleon wore a white short-sleeved coat with two symmetrical tails covering most of a black short-sleeved shirt underneath it. Both top clothing had left his midriff bare. He also wore black pants along with black shoes. One of his flippers held a shortsword, but not exactly like the kind Arche uses. Although everyone excluding Vanille, could sense that he was of an aristocratic family, there wasn't a sense of nobleness coming from him.

"You okay?" Cress was about to help the Empoleon resting cross-legged on the snow up before the Empoleon quickly got up and stepped away from her.

"Who are YOU supposed to be, huh!?" The Empoleon said. "Why did you kill those beasts!? I had everything under control, dammit!"

"Yes. I am sure you had everything under control." Raven said with a smirk.

"Damn right I did!" The Empoleon huffed.

"Who are you?" Arche said.

"Shouldn't you introduce yourselves first before asking for my name?" The Empoleon raised an 'brow'.

"Alright…" Arche nodded. "I am Arche, a tourist from a faraway region… and this is…" Arche proceeded to introduce everyone else to the Empoleon.

"Okay… My name is Irvine fal Isberg." The Empoleon introduces himself, sliding the sword he was holding onto back to a sheath. "I'm the only heir of the fal Isberg family."

"Fal Isberg…" Arche said. "Isn't that… an aristocrat family?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Irvine said.

"We have all the time to chat. But we have not forgotten why we're here, right?" Raven said. Arche gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry, Irvine. But we have to go now." After that, Raven began to lead everyone else away from Irvine until…

"Hey!"

Everyone else turned back to meet Irvine walking up to them. He seemed to have trouble thinking on what to say. "If you want to… maybe… you could crash at my place…? You know… I'm inviting you to my house…"

"What's with that weird way of speaking?" Cress said.

"Dammit! You got a problem with that!?" Irvine shouted. "I only got out of that place for the first time, alright!?"

"Okay… so where is your house?" Arche asked.

"Where else? Felfrost." Irvine answered. "I'm gonna lead the way, so follow me, okay?"

'Is that guy even a noble?' Cress thought.

Irvine marched in front of the Crystal Bearers, leading them to the Northern City, Felfrost. It only took a short trip considering their location to reach Felfrost. Felfrost was covered in a blanket of snow. Several small houses were lined on the ascending and descending hills in the city.

 _ **The Northern City, Felfrost**_

"What?" Irvine said, apparently surprised of everyone's reactions. "Shocked and awed?"

"Of course, I've only read about Felfrost in a book…" Arche said. "I'd never thought it to be very beautiful up close…"

"So… Mr. Irvine." Alvin said. "Where's your home?"

"…Over there."

Irvine pointed above him. His flipper is directed at a manor resting at the highest hill, and an enormous one at that. In fact, this was the only manor in the city.

"T-T-That is one h-h-huge manor!" Luca gasped.

"Honestly, it doesn't look that big to me." Irvine said. "Let's just head back to my house, okay?"

Following Irvine, the party reached the gates of the fal Isberg manor. The party set foot into the luxurious building. The house was at least warm inside as Luca and Arturo sighed in relief. The building was made of an exquisite material, one that Arche recognizes as an expensive type of marble. Several columns extended down the main hallway, earning a grander view of the manor. There was also a carpet lined between the columns, and it felt soft.

"There you are, Irvine!"

"Oh, geez…" Irvine muttered. A neatly-dressed Beartic rushed up to him. "You really made the entire manor worry, didn't you?" The Beartic said.

"Come on, Gai. I wasn't out there for long." Irvine rolled his eyes.

"Seriously…" The Beartic sighs, placing a paw on his hip. "You have to stop sneaking out of the manor. You've been turning the entire place into turmoil every time we can't find you. Come on, your father's looking for you."

"…Sneaking out?" Cress said.

"What the hell does my old man want this time?" Irvine said. He didn't sound pleased.

"He ordered me to search for you to tell you to go to his room." The Beartic replies. "As usual, no brief description on why."

"Who are you?" Luca asked the Beartic.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." The Beartic said, noticing the Crystal Bearers. "My name is Gai Whitewind. I'm a servant working at the fal Isberg manor." He reached his paw out, shaking Luca's hand. He did the same to Alvin, Kite and Arturo, for the serpent's case, a vine. Vanille walked up to Gai, extending her hand to shake his paw. Gai noticed her approaching and he…

"G-GYAAAAAAH!" Gai let out a frightened shriek. He made a swift dash towards one of the columns of the hall and hid behind it. Everyone sans Irvine just stared at the column, watching Gai shake violently. "…Huh?" Vanille tilted her head. "Gai doesn't like women." Irvine explained. "Whenever they get close to him, he flips out and tries to avoid physical contact with them."

"Looks like gynophobia to me." Alvin commented.

"I-I-It's not g-gynophobia!" Gai shouted from the column. "I-I-I like w-women, okay!? I-It's just that something flips whenever they get close to me, especially if I don't notice it!"

"Come on! Give us a handshake!" Vanille walked up to the column.

"E-EEEEK!" Gai side-stepped around the column, so that he would be directly opposite of Vanille. Vanille then moved left, and Gai moved left. Vanille moved right, and Gai moved right. Vanille dashed around, and Gai did the same. Vanille's brain got to work and she sharply changed direction, and she was nearly face-to face with Gai, who had no time to change his direction.

"G-GAAAAAH!" Gai fell backwards just as Vanille jumped towards him. The Slurpuff landed on her feet, surprisingly. Gai quickly got back on his feet, his chest rapidly rising and falling.

"You get all the girls' attention…" Raven said. "I am so jealous."

"Th-That…!" Gai's breathing started to relax. He began to stand up more steadily from the column after a while. "Master Irvine!" Voices called out. Maids appeared from the direction where Gai had come from earlier and began to surround Irvine. Gai, of course, fled to behind a column when the maids arrived.

"Master Irvine, you're all dirty!"

"Do you need a towel, Master Irvine?"

"Master Irvine! Should I get–"

"…GAAAAAAAH!" Irvine screamed. Immediately all the maids stopped talking. "Stop with all the shouting, dammit! I'm going back to my room first! No one disturb me until I'm fine, alright!?" After he finished speaking, Irvine stormed off along the corridor. "Master Irvine!" the maids shouted, hurrying behind the Empoleon.

Gai sighed as he got away from the column he had been hiding behind just now. He turned to the Crystal Bearers. "I suppose you guys might be tired. Why don't you take a break in the guest rooms? Follow me. I'll lead you there. Of course, after you hang your coats at the coat rack." Gai said. He noticed Vanille about to step forward. "P-Please don't get close to me…" he stuttered, stepping back. "T-That counts for the rest of the females here."

Gai took the Crystal Bearers to the guest rooms, hearing their story along the way. "I get it…" Gai nodded. "You're here in the Norm Islands to find Crystal Bearers."

"Yup. I guess you won't know, but do you know of anyone holding a gem in this city?" Luca asked.

"I'm afraid I don't." Gai shook his head. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright, Gai." Arche said. She and the other females kept their distance away from Gai.

"But… did you say that a Crystal Bearer is supposed to hear voices?" Gai said. "Like have headaches or so?"

"That's right." Arche nodded.

"Then, maybe…" Gai pondered to himself. He noticed everyone else looking at him. "Ah, it's nothing. Now, why don't all of you head into the rooms? There are five rooms here. They have two beds for one each. And there are ten of you…"

"Don't forget me!" Taro pointed out, flying out of Lucille's arms.

"Did you just speak!?" Gai said in shock. He stared at the Banette doll for a while before he shook his head. "There are ten of you, and one talking doll. It's up to you to decide who will stay in which room."

"Me and Lucille will stay together." Kite said just after Gai finished his sentence. He noticed Taro glaring at him. "…Oh, and Taro too."

"Heart and I will share a room." Cress said. She noticed Alvin smiling. "Always together, huh?" he said.

"Sh-Shut up!" Cress snapped.

Arche started to speak. "I guess I should stay with–"

Raven walked forward. "Me." Raven said. "A young lass like her should be watched by an adult. Is that alright with you, Arche?" He asks, turning to Arche.

"Uh… alright." Arche nodded.

"Okay, then… Arturo." Alvin said, turning to the Serperior. "How about we share a room for now?"

"I have no objections on who I'll be staying with." Arturo said.

Luca had just realized that everyone else spoke up before him. 'Wait… then… I have to stay with…' He thought, and it just dawned on who was left. Vanille dashed around him, spinning him along the way. "Guess we'll stay in the same room!" Vanille said with a toothy grin. She usually kept her tongue hidden, but with that smile, it hanged from her mouth.

"U-Uh…U-Uh…" Luca began to stutter. His face was incredibly red.

Vanille noticed his red face. "What's wrong, Luca? Are you alright?" she asks.

"I-I'm alright…" Luca said. "Let's go in…"

* * *

After having a nap, the Crystal Bearers were escorted by Gai to the dining room of the manor. Just like the rest of the manor, the dining room had a refined sense of beauty. The floor was shining from under the lights. In the middle was a lengthy dining table. There were two Empoleon already in seats beside each other. One is Irvine, and the other was an older Empoleon. The second Empoleon was dressed in regal robes.

"I've brought them as you requested, Duke." Gai said.

"Good." The elder Empoleon nodded. "Ask them to take seats."

Gai nodded and told the Crystal Bearers to head to the dining table. As he sat down on a seat, Gai began to speak. "I would like you all to meet the Duke of the fal Isberg family, and Irvine's father, Rachat fal Isberg."

"Gai, I can introduce myself." The elder Empoleon said. "Remember that you are a servant."

"Of course…" Gai nodded.

"As he said…" Rachat closed his eyes before opening them to meet the Crystal Bearers. "I am Rachat fal Isberg. I am the Duke of this family. I would like to give my thanks for finding Irvine and bringing him back here. That said…" Rachat turned to Irvine. "…Once again, you tried to sneak out of the manor and this time, it was successful. Haven't you learned anything?"

"Dammit, old man!" Irvine shouted. "I am twenty-five already! I'm no child! Aren't I allowed to look at the outside world with my own eyes!?"

"Irvine, you know very well why you aren't allowed to leave the manor!" Rachat snapped.

"Tsk…" Irvine looked away.

Rachat grumbled before he turned to Luca. "I presume that you are Lucian's boy?"

"You know my Pops?" Luca asked in surprise.

"…Yes. Lucian and I were… allies." Rachat said after a short pause. "But that was from very long ago." He looked at the southern door of the dining room. "I believe that the food will arrive soon."

No sooner than Rachat finished speaking, the door opened and several maids emerged, holding varieties of dishes. The maids placed the dishes on the table before they headed out of the room. "Look at all the food!" Vanille said in excitement, drooling almost immediately.

"Chow time!" Luca announced.

Everyone began to eat from the mouth-watering food presented on the table. They all ate on their own speeds, some fast, some slow. Vanille's plate was always the largest compared to everyone else. Kite continued to monitor Lucille's eating habits, placing what she needs to eat on her plate. Taro just feasted himself on candies, gulping them in one mouthful. Everyone else ate balanced meals, except for Raven, who was only eating fruits.

"Irvine, how's practice?" Rachat asked Irvine, placing his utensils down to stop eating momentarily.

"…The same." Irvine answered before going back to eating his food.

"…Gai?" Rachat turned to face the Beartic servant.

"Irvine's swordplay has grown significantly since the last session." Gai answered. "He's quite experienced now."

"You could have answered with that instead of giving vague answers." Rachat said, turning back to Irvine.

Irvine didn't respond, eating his food.

"Keep that attitude, and you won't inherit the title of Duke any time soon." Rachat said. "Even after I've been disciplining you."

"Disciplining me!?" Irvine slammed both flippers on the table. "We don't even spend time at all after Mom died seventeen years ago! We only get together for dinner, and when you call me in for my behaviour!"

"Irvine!" Rachat scolded. Irvine went silent, looking at his plate. "…I lost my appetite." Irvine said. He left his seat and headed out of the dining room.

"I'll go and talk to him." Gai sighed, leaving his seat and heading to look for Irvine.

Everyone else just stared at the door after Gai left. Well, everyone except Vanille. "Uh…" Heart started to say.

"Is there a problem at hand with your son?" Arturo asked Rachat.

"…" Rachat looked down and sighed before he started speaking. "Seventeen years ago, Irvine experienced a dreadful accident. That accident had his mother's life. Worried that I was afterward, I confined him in the manor for his own protection. But these days…" Rachet closed his eyes. "He's neglecting his duties to become a Duke when I pass the title to him. He's always shouting about going out of the manor, not heeding my disapproval of his ideas. I feel that he is destined for something… and I think I might know what it is."

Rachat turned to Arche. "I'm sorry to ask of this, but could you talk to Irvine? I think I shall allow him to explore the outside world this time. But will he respect this and accept it?" he asked.

"We'll try and talk with Irvine, so don't worry too much." Arche got out of her seat, floating to the door. "Huh? We are done?" Vanille wondered, following the rest of the Crystal Bearers out of the dining room. "Where're we going?"

"We're going to talk to Irvine, Vanille." Kite told her.

"…Does anyone know where's Irvine's room?" Alvin said suddenly. Immediately, everyone halted. "…Yup. Figures." Alvin mumbled. "And, who's to say that Irvine must be in his room?"

"You're right…" Arche looked down. "I'd forgotten about that…" She looked up to notice Gai walking down the hallway, appearing troubled.

"Not again…" Gai muttered.

"Huh? Gai?" Arche asked. Gai turned around and screamed. "GAAAAH!" He backed against the wall. "…A-Ah. It's just you guys…" he stuttered.

"We have to speak with Irvine." Luca said.

"That's… a problem." Gai told Luca. "Irvine sneaked out of the mansion. Again."

"The second time today?" Luca said.

"Yeah… But I think he may be in the mansion. So… maybe you guys could check outside while I handle inside the manor?" Gai requested.

"Don't worry! We can handle that!" Arche said. She turned to the Crystal Bearers. "We should split up and check the city first! We'll gather at the square if we got any vital information of Irvine's whereabouts."

"That's a great plan, princess." Raven said. "Of course, it'd sound so easy…"

"No time for being snarky, Raven!" Cress said. "We're going, now!"

"Oh dear… It must be nice to forget your coats…" Raven sighed as he headed out of the manor.

* * *

"Dammit, the old man just doesn't understand me…" Irvine grumbled. He trudged along the snowy land beneath him. "Why can't I explore to my will? Is that a big problem for him?" Irvine slowed down. "By the way… where the hell am I?" he said, looking around. "…Meh." He shrugged his shoulders. "Gives me more time to look around before he sends out a search party." Irvine said to himself.

Irvine just hummed to himself, his flippers placed behind his head as he headed deeper into the unknown area in front of him.

 **Chapter 40 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Mystic Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ranger's Blade (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Epee (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Mithril Slugger (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Priestess Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Kresnik+1 (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Brother Figure (Showing great care is nice, to the little girl he worries for…)**

 **Weapon: Brass Boots (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Pink Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Raven – Shady Guy (Who is this strange individual? Everything seems to give off an air of suspicion…)**

 **Weapon: Playing Cards (Cards)**

 **No sooner than the earlier chapter, more new characters are introduced! Now, from the Norm Islands, Irvine fal Isberg! He has quite an attitude, does he? Honestly, out of all the current characters, I liked portraying him the best.**

 **Skit: How annoying, dammit! (before entering Felfrost)**

 **Irvine: (annoyed) "Hey, all of you! Hurry up!"**

 **(Luca struggling to near Irvine)**

 **Luca: (worried) "I-I-It's too c-cold! I-I can barely f-feel my l-legs!"**

 **Irvine: (normal) "Huh? It ain't cold! So stop complaining and keep up, dammit!"**

 **Luca: (closing eyes) "Y-You're more tolerant to the c-cold…"**

 **Irvine: (thinking) 'Geez, I invite some people for the first time and this is how fast they go? If I knew about this, then I wouldn't have invited them in the first place! How annoying, dammit!'**

 **Irvine: (annoyed) "Hey! Keep up! We're almost there!"**

 **(Irvine leaves first)**

 **Luca: (shocked, then worried) "W-W-Wait…!"**


	44. Chapter 41:Fighting of the Spirit

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 41: Fighting of the Spirit**

* * *

"Has anyone seen him yet?"

Arche asked the Crystal Bearers as they gathered at the square. They had a bit of a… slowdown, since they forgot their coats when they left the manor and rushed back in to put them on. Luca shook his head. "I-I-I d-didn't s-see him…" he stuttered.

"Same here. The people over where we went to said they didn't see him." Cress said as she returned with Heart.

"I didn't see Irvine either… and neither did Lucille nor Taro…" Kite said.

"That i-is terrible… No one s-saw Irvine from wh-where Arche and I searched…" Arturo mumbled.

"…I've got clues on Irvine's whereabouts." Raven spoke up.

"You do?" Arche asked.

"We talked to the residents from where we searched," Alvin said. "and someone said that they did see an Empoleon head outside of the city." He placed both arms at the sides his waist. "Judging by the direction, they said that the Empoleon will most likely wander off to the nearby Ice Shrine."

"The Ice Shrine?" Arche said.

"Yes." Raven said. "It's not far from here, towards the north. Our best bet is that Irvine might have wandered off to the Ice Shrine. Then, who's to say that he must be there? As far as we know… Irvine might be anywhere."

"That doesn't matter!" Cress said. "It's the only thing we've got right now!"

"Let's all head over to the Ice Shrine, right now." Arche said.

* * *

Everyone left Felfrost and headed north through the snowy lands once again. They faced plenty of wild monsters along the way, but with their experience, the Crystal Bearers dispatched the monsters easily. Most of the navigation was done by Raven, who had quite a sense of direction.

"I-Is it any closer yet...?" Luca mumbled while they were passing through a forest.

"Not far from here." Raven said, turning to Luca. "Dear me, I thought you wanted to stay in the cold just a little more."

"Th-That's not funny…" Luca mumbled.

"Raven, is that it?" Arche asked, pointing to a set of ruins coming into view. Just like the snow-blanketed forest they just left, the exterior of the area was naturally covered in snow.

"Yup, that's the Ice Shrine." Raven nodded.

 _ **Resting place of the Ice Spirit**_

 _ **Ice Shrine**_

"Hey, there's someone heading in the shrine!" Cress said. Everyone spotted some sort of figure entering the shrine. "You think it's Irvine?" Arche said. "Let's check." Arturo said. Everyone headed into the shrine and sure enough, Irvine was standing at the first room.

"There you are, Irvine!" Arche said. Irvine noticed the Crystal Bearers and turned around. "Ah, hell." Irvine groaned. "What, my old man asked all of you to search for me?"

"No, it's Gai." Arche said to Irvine. "He's searching for you back at the manor. So, he wanted us to check outside the manor for you."

"Gai, huh?" Irvine nodded. "That's good."

"Which brings us to our main reason for coming here… We're here to bring you back to the manor." Cress said.

"I shoulda' known… But, hell no." Irvine said.

"And what do you mean by that?" Cress said.

"I've made it this far already!" Irvine turned around. "I ain't giving up right now! I'll make sure I see every part of this place!" He announced before turning around. "…Where the hell am I, by the way?"

"You're at the Ice Shrine." Luca said.

"Luca, you're not stuttering." Kite said, noticing that he heard Luca clearly.

"Huh? I guess I'm not. I thought this place would be colder…" Luca looked around the shrine. "But it's surprisingly warmer than I thought."

"Ice Shrine, huh?" Irvine said. "Sounds like a plain name. Well, whatever. I'm going and that's final!"

"Looks like he won't listen until we make him happy." Cress said, lowering her head as she whispered to herself. "Typical nobles…"

Arche nodded. "…Alright. We'll accompany you in your exploration of the Ice Shrine." She told Irvine.

"You serious!?" Irvine said, sounding elated.

"And you." Cress walked to Irvine. "Try and avoid fighting as much as you can, okay? You are just… pathetic."

"And whaddya mean by that!?" Irvine shouted.

"Earlier, when we all met, you were swinging your sword wildly." Cress said. "You didn't even land a single cut on any of the monsters."

"To hell with that, I can still fight!" Irvine insisted.

"We should save our energy right now. There's no point fighting if we're worn out even before the main event begins now, wouldn't it?" Raven spoke up, separating Cress and Irvine. "You two can continue with your lovers' chat when we leave, okay?"

"WHAT!?" Cress and Irvine shouted in unison. They both pointed at each other. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? THIS SPOILT BRAT!?/YOU KIDDIN' ME!? THIS WILD BRUTE!?" Cress and Irvine shouted respectively.

"Hahaha…" Raven chuckled to himself as Cress and Irvine started to fight.

"TAKE THAT BACK, BRAT!"

"SHUT UP, BRUTE!"

"That's enough fighting!" Kite sighed. "We really can't afford discord now. So we just have to work together, alright?"

"…Fine!" Cress turned away.

"…HMPH!" Irvine turned away.

'This does not bode well…' Arche thought.

* * *

"Hey, look at that!" Luca hurried over to an apparatus. A machine exactly identical to the ones which the Sorcerer's Ring had reacted to. Currently, everyone had traversed through a part of the Ice Shrine and have now arrived in a spacious room. "Wonder what it'll be this time…" Luca said, hovering the Sorcerer's Ring over the machine.

Pale blue energy entered the Sorcerer's Ring as a pale blue stream of light from the machine. Luca looked at the ring and then pointed it in front of him. A blast of icy energy exerted from the ring, recoiling Luca just briefly from the blast. "Now, it's ice!" Vanille exclaimed.

"Wonder what we could use it on?" Luca wondered.

"How about there?" Alvin pointed to a set of icicles hanging from the top. Water dripped from the beautiful and clear icicles. Luca approached the icicles, aiming the ring at the dripping water. Ice rapidly built up until a large block of ice was now below the icicles.

"Woah! That's powerful!" Kite said.

"We can push that to that panel over there." Heart said.

"Leave it to me." Cress walked forward and was about to touch the ice block when she realized she didn't have gloves. "Does anyone have a set of gloves?" Cress asked.

"Here, you can use mine." Kite said, taking his gloves off and passing it to Cress. Cress put them on. They were considerably big, comparing Cress's paws and Kite's claws.

"By the way, Irvine." Raven said. "I can't say I think much of you forcing a woman to do the heavy lifting."

"I'm alright." Cress said, steadying herself to push the block. "I don't need help from that brat."

Irvine didn't do anything but remain in his spot.

"…Or do all rich aristocratic boys lack muscles these days?" Raven said. Irvine twitched. Raven placed a nail on his hat, sighing. "And I thought your brain was only made of muscles."

"…Dammit! I'll push the block!" Irvine marched towards the block. He placed his flippers on the block and was about to push along with Cress until he realized something. He turned his head to Raven. "…Wait. You're a man, too. So, you help out as well. And all the other guys too."

"If you didn't realize… Luca and Kite have yet to reach the age of a man. Taro is male, but his petite body is ineffective. How would you expect Arturo to push it? He doesn't have hands. We don't have extra gloves for Alvin; he'd freeze touching the ice block." Raven said. "And I'd rather not. You're younger than I am, after all. At my age, all my joints ache…"

"…Fine! I'll do it myself, dammit!" Irvine shouted. He faced Cress. "MOVE!"

"Why're you shouting at me!?" Cress responded with a growl. "Can't you see I'm pushing the block, you brat!?"

"Shut up, brute!" Irvine shouted. But in the end, the two of them pushed the heavy block down into the panel. The block sank down and with a mighty roar, a set of doors opened in the room. "Would you look at that!" Irvine said. "A path opened!" Irvine immediately dashed past the doors and into the next room. "Hey, wait!" Cress ran after Irvine as the rest of the group followed.

"This place is boring." Irvine mumbled after entering the new room. This room was nearly identical to the previous room with only the exception of icicles, a colossal door, and it had two passageways leading deeper into the shrine.

"If you're going to keep playing explore, don't stray too far from the group!" Cress said.

"I know. I know." Irvine turned back to respond. "Just shut up already." Immediately after he turned around, a statue of ice shifted slightly, towards Irvine's direction. Everyone else but Irvine noticed it.

"I-Irvine!" Lucille screamed.

"Irvine, behind you!" Luca shouted. "Eh?" Irvine turned around and noticed the icy golem in front of him. "Oh, shi-!" Irvine exclaimed. The icy golem swung its' arm down, and Irvine rolled away to avoid getting struck. "Hey!" Kite rushed in and gave a dropkick at the golem.

"Wait, that's not the setup we agreed to!" Arche said, drawing out her weapons and began to cast a spell.

"Damm you!" Irvine pulled out his sword from the sheath and slashed the icy golem. Cress than rushed forward and swung her sledgehammer at the icy golem, obliterating it to pieces.

"Hey!" Irvine shouted, getting up. "You almost hit me, dammit!"

"Now you know why we told you to keep close!?" Cress said, placing her weapon on her back.

"Just like how we can catch enemies off-guard…" Arturo said. "The enemies can do the same to us if we're careless. Our formation was broken, and we had little time to prepare for the battle."

"This wasn't what we agreed to, so I hope you learned your lesson…" Arche told Irvine.

"…Shut up!" Irvine rolled his eyes. "How the hell was I supposed to know that!? And what the hell was that thing, anyway!?"

Arche headed over to the shattered bits of the icy golem. "…" She studied the mere fragments of what's left of their enemy. "It looks like an enchanted creature. I'd say that its' purpose is to chase intruders away, as if to protect something… but what they're protecting, I don't know…"

"Then it must be something rare!" Irvine said.

"…Or something dangerous." Alvin pointed out.

"The path splits here." Arturo said. "Where should we go?"

"That way." Cress and Irvine said at the same time, but both of them pointed at different passageways; Cress pointed at the left passageway, and Irvine pointed at the right. They noticed the other. "…No, it's that way!" They said to each other.

"I said that we should take this path!" Cress said. "So, we're going to take this path!"

"Says who?" Irvine spoke. "You aren't the boss of me, dammit!"

"Calm down right now, you two!" Arche spoke loudly to catch their attention. She was returning from the closed door. "I've made a quick read on the door's hieroglyphs. It said that two souls, bounded together, but separated, shall open the path together, but alone."

"What the hell does that f****** mean?" Irvine asked.

"It means that we should split up and try to find the key to open this door." Arche told him. "Then, the teams will be…" Before she finished her sentence, Cress headed in front of the left passageway and Irvine headed to the right. "…" Arche shook her head and turned to the rest of the group. "Someone has to watch Irvine before he causes more trouble." Arche said. "Then… we should…"

After a brief discussion, the setup of the squads were as followed: Cress had Luca, Alvin, Lucille, Taro and Kite. Irvine had Vanille, Heart, Arche, Raven and Arturo. "Now that's settled, let's go on!" Cress said, heading into the left passageway while Irvine's party headed into the right passageway.

Entering the room, Irvine's party met with a considerably small room. There were ice blocks lying on the frigid floor. "Come on!" Irvine groaned. "We still have to do more puzzles!?"

"But we had just only done one." Arturo pointed out.

"WHAT-EVER!" Irvine said.

"Oh my. Giving up so soon?" Raven chuckled. "Then we could cancel this trip and head back to your house."

"Hell no!" Irvine shook his head. "I'm gonna see the end in this place!" Irvine got to work pushing the icy blocks. Given the slippery flooring, the blocks slid easily across the room. With a surreal amount of guidance, Irvine pushed every single block into holes. "There! That's done!" Irvine said. "The door's gotta open, huh?" He turned to the closed door.

The door didn't sound like it opened. Irvine walked to the door and started banging at it with his foot. "I-Irvine!" Heart said.

"I don't as hell get it!" Irvine screamed. "We've done the f******* puzzle, so why won't the f******* door f******* open!?" Then, the passageway that brought them to this room was suddenly sealed off.

"The passageway…!" Arche gasped.

"Oh dear…" Raven sighed. Irvine stared at the sealed passageway and then he cursed loudly.

"SH-IT!"

* * *

"What was that?" Cress said. Currently, Cress's group were standing in front of a sealed door. So far, everything they did in the room had nothing to do with the unsealing of the door.

"That sounded like someone cursing." Kite said.

"Did something happen over there?" Luca said.

"M-Maybe th-they got trapped…" Lucille said.

"Hm? The door…?" Alvin walked towards the door. Then, the door suddenly opened in front of everyone's eyes.

"The door opened!" Taro said.

"Maybe we could try to find something ahead." Cress said as the party headed past the doors and into a new room. The room had five pedestals arranged in a star formation. At the center of this 'formation', a column towered in the room.

"Hmm…" Kite looked at the pedestals. "Do you think that someone is supposed to stand there?"

"I don't know." Cress said. "But maybe we can do that to see whether anything happens." Cress looked at the pedestals. "Then, we should all take on–"

"U-Um, Cress…?" Lucille walked to Cress. "T-Taro can take a pedestal on his own…"

Cress obviously looked dumbfounded. With a raised brow, she asked ridiculously, "Taro? The doll? He's as light as a feather!" Lucille shook her head. "I-I mean… I can expand him… and he can rest on the pedestal…" She explained. "U-Um… Cress? Could you stay at the column…?"

"Fine, go ahead with your plan." Cress said. Lucille nodded and Taro rested on a pedestal. "It's cold!" Taro exclaimed. Luca, Kite and Alvin took their places at a pedestal respectively. Lucille nodded to Taro and waved her wand. In a matter of seconds, what was merely a small doll was now a giant-sized Banette doll. Lucille hurried over to the empty pedestal and stood on it. The pedestal beneath her sank until it reached the base of the floor.

A click was heard. "What was that?" Cress said.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on Irvine's group…

"F***! F***! F***!" Irvine kept cursing in the room.

"Irvine, calm down!" Arche said. So far, everyone's attempts at calming Irvine down were futile. Irvine stomped his foot, turning to the sealed door in the room. "F*** this! I'm taking that f****** door down! YAAAAAAARGH!" Irvine charged towards the door.

"Irvine, stop!" Heart said. "You'll hurt yourself!" Irvine didn't listen as he continued to run towards the door, full intent on tearing it down. Just as Irvine was about to make contact with the door, the door suddenly swung backwards, leaving a confused Irvine before he screamed and fell on the floor.

Irvine got on his feet quickly. "See!? I told you that the door'll open if I give it a scare!" He boasted proudly. "Ha! Take that, stupid door!"

"Haha…" Raven chuckled. "You were cussing at it all this time. Maybe it got sick of your voice?"

Irvine turned around. "Shut up!" he said. After that, Irvine's party headed through the opened door and they found themselves in a room. In fact, it was a room identical to the one Cress's party were at. But Cress's party weren't in this room. Irvine looked around the room. "What the hell are we supposed to do now…?"

"You really put that brain of yours into good work, don't you?" Raven chuckled.

"I don't know whether you're complementing me or insulting me." Irvine said.

"Let's get on the pedestals, everyone!" Raven said, taking a pedestal. Soon, everyone else took places at the pedestals. All but Irvine, who remained at the column. After all the pedestals sank, A part of a column slid up, revealing a panel within the column. "Whoa!" Irvine said. "A panel appeared!"

"Maybe you should push it?" Vanille asked, leaving her pedestal. The moment that happened, the section slid down, and the panel disappeared from view. "Hey!" Irvine shouted.

"We shouldn't leave our positions, Vanille." Arturo said, noticing how the section shut. "Oh." Vanille nodded and returned to her pedestal. The section in the column opened up again. "It must be fun watching us stand on our leisure, hm?" Raven chuckled. Irvine started to grumble to himself as he walked to the panel and pushed his flipper on it.

Nothing happened. "What the hell!?" Irvine said. "What's wrong with this piece o' junk!?"

* * *

"I said nothing's happening!" Cress said as she lifted her paw away from the panel. In the room her party was in, a section of the column slid up and Cress found a panel and she pushed it plenty of times.

"How could nothing be happening?" Luca wondered.

"It's a switch of some sort, isn't it?" Kite said. "Maybe… there should be another switch like this? I mean, it's possible that there's a similar switch and the switches has to be pushed at the same time… Well, I could infer that based on the riddle Arche told us on the door."

"And… we have no idea what the other team is doing right now." Alvin said. "It'd be harder for us to finish this." Cress glared at the panel. Everyone could sense animosity exerting from her at an incredible rate.

"OPEN!" Cress slammed her fist at the panel.

"ARCEUS-DAMMIT!" Irvine shouted, slamming his flipper at the panel.

Both rooms shook, frightening mostly everyone but the older ones. The parties took a look at their door opening slowly, revealing a pathway.

"Look over there!" Irvine said.

"The door opened!" Cress said. "Great. Now we can leave this confuddling room."

"Hm?" As Cress's party left the pathway, they spotted Irvine's party leaving from another pathway connected to this room they entered. "How the hell did you get there!?" Irvine said. "I could say the same to you!" Cress responded.

"You wouldn't believe the hell we gone through those rooms…" Irvine grumbled.

"You WOULDN'T believe the hell WE gone through in those two rooms…" Cress said.

"What is that "hell"?" Irvine raised a brow, clearly not believing her.

"You want me to give you hell?" Cress tightened her gloves. "I'll give you hell right now!"

"You two have to stop fighting!" Arche groaned, getting between the two to stop the ensuing fight.

"But we've come quite far, haven't we?" Arturo pointed out.

"M-Mhm…" Lucille nodded.

"Look!" Luca ran over to a glowing Remembrance Field. "A Remembrance Field!"

"A Remembrall Field?" Irvine said.

"You haven't been out there quite often, haven't you?" Cress rolled her eyes.

"Hey, like it's my fault!?" Irvine shouted. "My old man haven't let me set foot outside the manor since I was 8, okay!?"

"What, did he keep you locked up in a basement?" Cress said.

"No, you brute! I suffered a terrible incident since I was 8. I've been shut up in that place… for like 17 years?"

"Seventeen years is kind of cruel…" Luca said. "I don't think I could stand it…" Most of the group agreed with Luca. "Can we stop talking about this shit and get to the end of this place!?" Irvine screamed.

The next room the reunited party entered is dome-shaped. Beautiful crystals of ice surrounded the walls and hanging from the ceiling with a shimmering glow. At the end of the room, just opposite from where the party entered, was a large crystal of ice. There appeared to be something in it. "Hey, look at that!" Irvine dashed to the large crystal.

"Irvine!" Arturo said as everyone hurried over to the Empoleon. Irvine was staring at the crystal. "…? Is there a body inside this?" Irvine said. Luca took a look. Irvine was right. He could see a body just like everybody else could. The body appeared to be a humanoid with a kimono-like figure, its' arms connected to the sides of its' head. Luca could recognize it as a Froslass.

"Look. Something's happening." Raven bluntly said. Everyone just noticed that the crystal began to glow. Then, the entire room was blinded by a flash. As the flash disappeared, everyone noticed that the crystal surrounding the Froslass was gone. She was free of that prison. The Froslass stared at the group of strangers in front of her.

"Who… are you…?" The Froslass wondered.

"Um… we are…" Luca began.

"…I see." The Froslass floated down. "Then I shall give no quarter."

"H-Huh!?" Luca's eyes widened."

The Froslass suddenly assumed a martial arts stance. "Prepare!"

"Wait, what!?" Irvine screamed.

 _ **Elemental Spirit of Ice**_

 _ **?**_

The unidentified Froslass waved her arms up, sending a powerful shockwave at Irvine. "SHIT!" Irvine jumped to the right. He pulled out his sword, rushing immediately to attack the Froslass. The Froslass elegantly evaded the wild slashes with nimble movements. She suddenly thrust both palms at Irvine's stomach, and in a moment, throwing him to the other side of the room.

"GWAAAAAH!" Irvine crashed on the ground. Vanille and Heart rushed to help Irvine. The Froslass turned to Luca. "Now, you must challenge me. I have to see that you truly are the chosen one." She assumed the same stance she used to take Irvine down.

"W-Wait, me!?" Luca said. "Th-Then…!"

" _Luca! That's the Elemental Spirit of Ice, Celsius!"_

"Cakeo?" Luca asked, recognizing the voice.

" _NOT YOU TOO!"_ Caeruleum shrieked. _"I TOLD YOU, IT'S CAERULEUM!"_

"My bad!" Luca apologized.

" _Anyway… Celsius requests a battle from you, and only you."_ Caeruleum said. _"You should use your abilities to show her your strength. Maybe… she'll offer to support you if she is impressed."_

"Another helping hand…" Luca nodded. "…Alright." Luca turned to Arche. "I'll handle this by myself!"

"Luca!" Arche was surprised.

"This is another opportunity…" Luca said as he turned to Celsius. "I have to see how far I've come once again… to know whether I can get to him… and tell him…"

"Well, the boy has spoken." Raven said. "Now, we shall leave him be and watch the show."

"Raven!" Cress said.

"It's obvious: He wants to settle things with his boyfriend." Raven said. Nearly everyone lost it. Luca swiftly turned around. "Wh-WHAT!?" Luca's voice was pitched, his face completely red. "It's nothing like that! Nothing like that at all!"

"So, you were interested in _that_ sort…" Cress seemed unamused.

"L-Luca…" Lucille mumbled softly.

"I-I said it's nothing like–UGH!" He turned back to Celsius. "I'm gonna fight now!" Luca grabbed the Sapphire, entering the Water Crystallus form. Holding his trident, Luca flew forward and sent streams of water at Celsius. "Ha!" Celsius spun and generated freezing air, immediately solidifying the water before it could do any harm on her. She then created several lances of ice, directing them at Luca. Luca quickly shot around the room to avoid the icicles. "I need another Crystal!" Luca shouted as he passed over the party.

"Try this, Luca!" Arche threw her Garnet up to Luca, who manages to catch it even in his blinding speed. "Thanks!" Luca propelled back to Celsius, changing forms again while the water disappeared. He now had dark brown eyes and the same white robes but with dark brown shadings. Luca's weapon has taken the shape of a large hammer. "Hraah!" Luca swung his hammer down at Celsius, who dodged it nimbly.

"O malevolent frost, chill my enemy to the bone!" Celsius chanted. "Blizzard!" A freezing wave of air suddenly surrounded Luca. "Ah!" Luca spun his hammer around, dispelling the air before it could do anything else.

"Gravel, become my spear!" Luca conjured rocks out of thin air. "Rock Lance!" He directed the spears to Celsius. Celsius just took a stance and shot her arms at the incoming lances, obliterating every lance into dust.

"Earthly hammer, crush them!" Luca waved his hand. "Air Pressure!" He summoned a transparent cylinder around Celsius. But Celsius phased out of the cylinder before waves of pressure fell from the cylinder's top.

"Argh…" Luca groaned. Celsius suddenly became serious. And Luca realized it.

"It is time to end this with my technique." Celsius breathed. She clasped both hands together before thrusting them forward. "Ground Breaker!" A lion's head was formed from the first thrust. Luca quickly raised his hammer to block the forceful blow. Celsius performed a second thrust, sending a second lion's head at Luca. He managed to endure the second hit. Celsius made a third thrust, creating a lion's head, larger than the previous two. The lion's head forcefully pushed Luca away, and encasing him in ice at the same time. The ice suddenly exploded, throwing Luca down into the floor.

"Luca!" Arche gasped. The dust soon settled down, and Luca was standing up, wobbling as he struggled to hold himself up with his hammer. Celsius looked at him calmly, as if expecting that he would have survived her Ground Breaker, one of her strongest techniques. "I can't… lose…" Luca huffed with heavy breaths. "I… have to… get stronger… I… don't… want to… be a burden… to everyone…! That's why… I fight! I can't keep relying on everyone! I have to rely on myself as well!"

Celsius stared at Luca and raised her palm. Luca struggled to make it look like he was prepared for the next attack. Then, Celsius lowered her palm, much to everyone's surprise. "I see." Celsius nodded. "You truly are the Crystallizer."

She floated to Irvine, who had just recovered from his wounds by Heart and Vanille. As she guessed, Irvine backed away. "I'm sorry that I had to do this." Celsius calmly said. "But it's necessary that I duel the Crystal Bearers to test their strength."

"Wait, what's a Crystal Bearer?" Irvine asked.

* * *

After listening to everyone, Irvine silently nodded. "Did you get it?" Cress asked.

"Not a f****** clue." Irvine replied. "But if what you guys say is true… then I'm supposed to be some sort of legendary hero? Awesome! I gotta go with you guys!" He groaned afterward. "But… I'd have to talk to my old man about this… I doubt he'd f****** give me that chance…"

"You should try." Celsius said. "Because I shall follow all of you."

"Really?" Arche said.

"Of course. I've been represented as the Crystal Bearer of Ice. I will not fail in my mission to maintain order and peace in Niata." Celsius produced a beautiful crystal from her arms. A Lapis Lazuli rested on her arms.

"That means the Crystal Bearers are nearly complete!" Arche said. "We've only left with Bug, Steel, Dragon and Poison. If we could meet up with Van and Elazul, then the Crystal Bearers are united!"

"That's wonderful!" Vanille cheered.

"Hm…?" Luca's head felt heavy. It was the same sensation he has felt all the previous times. Then, that means…

"What?" Irvine saw Luca collapse on the floor suddenly. "Hey, what's up with him?"

"I think Luca's going to… that world…" Arche said.

 **Chapter 41 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Mystic Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ranger's Blade (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Epee (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Mithril Slugger (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Priestess Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Kresnik+1 (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Brother Figure (Showing great care is nice, to the little girl he worries for…)**

 **Weapon: Brass Boots (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Pink Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Raven – Shady Guy (Who is this strange individual? Everything seems to give off an air of suspicion…)**

 **Weapon: Playing Cards (Cards)**

 **Irvine fal Isberg – Duke's Son (A title bequeathed on one whose' fate is sealed with his blood line)**

 **Weapon – Rare Sword (Longsword)**

 **Celsius – Ice Spirit (The legendary spirit who governs the northern winds. Her powers are not to be trifled with…)**

 **Weapon – Barehanded, Echanted Hairpin (Hairpin)**

 **An… incredibly long chapter. I had to say. There'll be plenty of stuff back in Felfrost when we come to the eventual next Luca Arc chapter, but first… we still have… Past Arc – Destiny and the second EX Chapter! Look forward to writing it!**

 **Skit: Avalanche Warning**

 **Lucille: "It's… I-It's so slippery…"**

 **Heart: "Lucille, are you alright–AH!" (Heart suddenly shifts)**

 **Vanille: "You guys are careless! If you walk like me, with a firm in your step…" (Vanille suddenly shifts) "Eep! Aww, I can't believe this!"**

 **Raven: "If you three keep talking, you might cause an avalanche, you know? Please watch your–" (Irvine nears Raven, then Raven suddenly shifts) "–Whooooops!"**

 **(Vanille, Lucille, and Heart appears surprised)**

 **Irvine; (annoyed) "W-What the hell!? Stop grabbing my clothes, Raven!" (tilts then falls) "Gwahahh!"**

 **Raven: (straightens properly) "…Now really, Irvine. Shouting and falling isn't very admirable now, is it?"**

 **Lucille, Heart, & Vanille: "…"**


	45. Chapter 42:LIGHT

**Tales of Faith**

 **Past Arc – Destiny**

 **Chapter 42: LIGHT**

"…"

 _REGENERATION PROCESS COMPLETE._

 _RECALCULATING DAMAGE CAUSED TO BODY…_

 _DAMAGE CAUSED – 0%__

"…"

 _ACCESSING INTERNAL DATA TO PERFORM ANALYSIS…_

 _ANALYSIS COMPLETE._

 _WEAPON MK. III ACTIVE._

 _COMMAND TO REBOOT SYSTEM: TRUE_

 _SYSTEM REBOOTING…__

"…"

 _When I came to, I found something channelling into my arm. I turned my head to the left. It was wires. They were attached to my arm. Then, I noticed that the slashes in my arm were no longer there. They were all gone. I realized that I was resting on a bed._

" _Zzz…" I could hear someone snoozing lightly. I turned my head to the right and saw her. Ms. Colette was sitting on a metallic chair, sleeping softly. Has she been there this whole time…? "Um…" I started to get up slowly from the bed. I took another look at the wires. I didn't need the electricity now, so I turned my arm and using my other hand, I pulled the wires out. I heard something clatter loudly immediately._

 _Ms. Colette shot out from her seat. "I wasn't the one who stole the cookies!" Ms. Colette suddenly shouted. She then opened her eyes and noticed me. "…Oh! How're you? Are you feeling okay?" She asked, touching my head._

" _How long have you been here, Ms. Colette…?" I wondered aloud._

 _Ms. Colette sighed happily. "You finally came to… I was so worried about you…" She placed her hands on the bed, sighing again, but with unhappiness. "I'm sorry I was too late… You wouldn't have been in this state if I had arrived earlier…" She looked back at me with a smile. "But… I'd never thought that your power… is that incredible…"_

" _My power…?" I looked at my hand_

 _Ms. Colette's hands left the bed and she headed to the door. "Follow me, Rose. I'll explain everything." She said. I didn't have anything else to do, or know. But I was curious about that night… I left the bed and followed Ms. Colette out of the room._

* * *

" _That night… It's the same night whenever the moon shines the brightest. Actually, every night, I suppose. We called it the Midnight Zone. Normally, people think they're sleeping normally. But in fact, they're sealed in coffins for their own protection." Ms. Colette said. "You noticed it, didn't you?"_

" _Then, what about the student that was…?" I realized something. "The student! Is he alright!?"_

"… _No. He, as you would have seen, was found dead outside the dorms." Ms. Colette shook her head. "The papers reported him to have committed suicide. They thought of it as some supernatural phenomenon. You would have heard those rumors. But in fact, a Shadow had taken one of the victims of the Midnight Zone."_

" _Shadow…?" I was wondering what it was._

" _That's what we described the race to be." Ms. Colette replied. "Mindless apparitions which feast on those that wander in the Midnight Zone. And, that's where LIGHT comes in."_

" _LIGHT? What's that?"_

" _You'll know more about LIGHT starting… now!" Ms. Colette led me to a door and opened it. The room was spacious. There were bookshelves lined up at the walls. A clear brown table rested in the center of the room where a couch and two armchairs were arranged around it. However, there were people I recognized resting on the chairs._

" _Wait–Rose!?"_

" _Cipher!? Reiga! And Flaust too!" I exclaimed, seeing my three dormmates._

 _Cipher got up from his seat. "Ms. Colette! You're telling us that he is the new member?" he asked. "I mean, I'm glad we have a new member, but…"_

" _Cipher, what's wrong?" Ms. Colette asked. "You seem flustered…"_

" _It's nothing…" Cipher sighed, flumping on his seat. Somehow, I think he's still mad about what happened on that day…_

" _Rose, are you okay?" Flaust Carpaice asked._

" _I'm fine." I replied. I turned to Ms. Colette. "So, about LIGHT…"_

" _I was getting to that." Ms. Colette said, ushering me to a seat. "You see, LIGHT is an organization founded by yours truly! Our job is to slay the Shadows that roam around the world. Currently, the Shadows outbreak is the greatest in our region. So, I believe that by going through the World Regeneration, I could find the solution to end the Shadows."_

" _Ms. Colette… wow…" I mumbled. "You're the Chosen, a teacher in our school, and also the head of an organization! You're incredible, Ms. Colette!"_

" _Thanks, Rose!" Ms. Colette smiled. "But we're nearly the same age, so I don't think I should still be called "Ms"! Could you just try calling me "Colette"?"_

" _I just can't!" I replied. "I have to call you "Ms. Colette"!"_

 _Ms. Colette sighed with a smile. "So… the reason why I brought you here to LIGHT is…" She held my hand. "…I want you to join LIGHT."_

" _Huh…?" I said. "Why?"_

" _We could use extra hands in defeating Shadows!" Reiga spoke up, standing and pumping a fist. "Don't you think that's exciting enough? Beating up the bad guys for a living?"_

" _May I remind you that you got hurt on that night?" Cipher said. "You always try to do things by yourself! And your injuries aren't helping the fact that my sexual orientation is questioned every day! Why do I even help treat your injuries!? You should go to the medical bay!"_

" _You didn't have to put it like that…" Reiga said. He turned to me. "I didn't see anything…" Reiga admitted. "But judging by how you managed to last before Colette arrived, you had the same potential as us, but more powerful than all of us combined."_

" _Hmm…" I began to think._

" _I'm not forcing you to join." Ms. Colette told me. "If you don't want to join, then I won't force you to. It's not nice to obstruct your own freedom to decide."_

"… _I'll do it." I said. "I'll join LIGHT."_

" _Really?" Ms. Colette looked astounded._

" _Yeah." I nodded. "I'll join LIGHT. I want to help keep the world safe. I don't want anyone to suffer because of those Shadows. I don't want to lose anyone else precious to me. If we could all save the world, then I will be very happy. I just have one question, Ms. Colette."_

" _What is it?" She asked._

 _I breathed before I gave my question. "…What does LIGHT mean?"_

 _Silence filled the room. Ms. Colette's mouth opened and closed. "That… is a good question. I mean, I just decided to call it LIGHT. No full name. I didn't think that it would be necessary to create a super-long name and cram it as an acronym." She looked at my face. "Okay, okay… We will make a name for LIGHT." Ms. Colette said. "…" She looked around. "Does anyone have an idea?"_

" _Don't ask me. I'm not good with names." Reiga said._

" _Lovably Inverse Guffaw Havoc Trekkers?" Cipher said._

" _Light in Gorgeous Heroic Time?" Flaust said. He shook his head. "This is horrible…"_

"… _Liberators in Grand Holy Trees?" I suggested._

" _We still need to hear your opinion, Reiga." Ms. Colette turned to Reiga._

"… _Lime Ice Grapes Honeydew Truffles?" was Reiga's answer. He sat there in silence before he shook his head. "I told you I'm not good with names!"_

"… _Maybe we should just stick to it as LIGHT." Ms. Colette said. She turned to me. "Anyway… welcome to LIGHT, Rose!"_

" _Wait, Ms. Colette." I said. "What were you thinking of naming LIGHT?"_

" _Er… Lime Ice Grapes Honeydew Truffles?" Ms. Colette said. We all burst out laughing._

 _At that point of time, I was still lost on my reason for birth. Maybe I could find it while working as a member of LIGHT…_

 _Of course… this marked the beginning of an adventure…_

 _The adventure that made me realize who I am… and my reason for birth…_

 **Chapter 42 End**

* * *

 **LIGHT. I seriously just made it up without it as an acronym. Yeah, I'm pure lazy. I know.**

 **Anyway, next chapter is the EX Chapter 2: And the polls state that Arturo's backstory will be explained! (I really need to close that poll…)**


	46. EX Chapter 2:Forest in Red

**Tales of Faith**

 **EX Chapter 2: Forest in Red**

* * *

"Ah, here is Ban's letter."

During his stay at an inn in Dragsa, Arturo Carpaice, the Crystal Bearer of Grass, pulled out a letter from his bag. He placed the sealed letter on the table in the room he's sleeping at. His vines handled separate jobs; one took a blank piece of paper, and another held a feathered pen. He placed both stationery beside the letter. He adjusted the lamp slightly with his tail before he opened the letter with his vines. He read the letter slowly.

 _Nii-san,_

 _How're you doing? I'm fine over here at Blood Forest. Great Elder and I've been watching Yggdrasil… She's doing fine too. You know… I was wondering… How did Blood Forest earn its' name again? I don't really remember everything back then… And… Is it true… about what happened to our Papa and Mama? Please… tell me… I'm old enough to take it…_

Arturo sighed. This was very heavy for him back then… He clearly remembered the events on that fateful day… The one when Blood Forest earned its' name and where he lost his parents.

He dipped the pen in a bottle of ink before he began to write down the details of what happened…

* * *

Blood Forest wasn't named Blood Forest initially. No, it was called Azure Forest. Arturo had been living there with his parents. His family just had a baby brother, snoozing lightly in a cradle. Life was as normal as it could be for the Carpaice family…

"You're officially a big brother now!" Arturo's father, a Chesnaught, beamed.

"Wow… my baby brother…!" Arturo, who was just a smaller Servine, stared in awe at his new brother.

"Careful, you two." Arturo's mother, a Serperior said. "You don't want to make too much noise."

"W…Waaah…"

The soft cries of the tiny Chespin soon caught the attention of the family. "Oh, look what you two have done." Arturo's mother said softly.

"It's his fault." Both Arturo and his father pointed at each other.

"It's okay… Mama's here…" Arturo's mother spoke soothingly. The baby Chespin soon stops crying and he stretches his petite arms at his mother, making adorable giggles. "N…M…" The Chespin says through his giggles.

"Look, he's trying to say his first word already." Arturo's mother smiled.

"His first word? Already?" Arturo's father said.

"N…N…" The baby Chespin continued to attempt to speak out his first word.

"This'll take some time…" Arturo's mother said. She turned to Arturo. "Arturo, could you check outside? The deliverymon should be outside with the food."

"Alright." Arturo nodded. He headed out of the house and saw a Gogoat with goods on his back. "Ah, Arturo." The Gogoat said. "So you're collecting the food today?"

"Yes." Arturo nodded. He slowly lifted the goods off the Gogoat and placed them on the ground.

"So… how does it feel to have a baby brother now?" The Gogoat asked.

"Well…" Arturo started to think. "It feels really new to me… Like, for a new life… I think… Maybe I was talking about…"

"It's okay." The Gogoat assured. "It's natural to feel different welcoming a new family member. Heck, I've felt something like you do now. Tell your parents I wish them luck with their new baby!"

"Will do." Arturo turned to the goods and carried them slowly. Well, since most of them were quite heavy for him… it couldn't be helped.

* * *

It was about a few months after the birth of Arturo's baby brother, Ban Carpaice. Arturo's parents, Riff Carpaice and Chrysal Carpaice had their own things to do: His father tended to the village farm, and his mother did the housework. Arturo himself had been outside of the house. Earlier, he had interacted with the village elder, the Trevenant that most of the village considered him as a "crackpot" or "loony". He still couldn't believe that the village elder foresaw that a tragedy may befall on Azure Forest. Nonetheless, it worried him just as from the other predictions, although none of them came true.

Arturo rested himself on the usual spot where he practiced his music. He wondered about his own responsibility as a big brother. What sort of role model should he be for Ban? Maybe he could continue to tend to the farm and when Ban is watching him work, he could try and double up his efforts? 'Hmm…' Arturo thought. 'If I do that… then I could collapse from exhaustion…'

"…Hm?" Arturo noticed some noise. It was quite faint. He couldn't tell what it was. "…Ah." Arturo realized something. "I'm supposed to be back at the house to help Mom!" He hopped off from his spot and dashed madly back home.

However, after he left, the sounds grew and grew…

* * *

"I'm sorry, Mom!" Arturo huffed. "I forgot that I was to help you today!"

"I was about to tell you that before you left, but I'm glad you remembered…" Chrysal said. She placed the plates she was carrying down on the table. "We should call for your father. He should be outside at the farm, shouldn't he?"

"I should check over there, should I?" Arturo suggested.

"…? Is it just me… or is it getting noisy?" Chrysal mumbled.

"W…Waaaah…"

Chrysal turned to look over at the cradle where Ban was lying at. The baby Chespin was starting to cry, most likely having awoken from the sounds. Still, it is odd… Why would it be noisy? She decided to carry him out of the cradle. Holding Ban in a comfortable position, Chrysal and Arturo head out of the house. Then, they noticed that the weather's getting cloudy. But it took moments later for Chrysal to realize that above them weren't actual clouds.

It was smoke.

"Chrysal!" The Serperior mother turned to the one who called her name. Hurrying over to her was none other than her husband. But…

"You're injured!" Chrysal gasped, looking at the cuts around Riff's body.

"It's just minor injuries!" Riff insisted as he clutched a bleeding cut. "We have to get out of the village!"

"Why, Papa?" Arturo asked.

"There's no time to explain right here… Just hurry, or-" Riff was cut short as they heard a shout and a figure crashed behind Riff. The figure was a Combusken donning light armor. Its' entire body was bloodied, and its' breaths were ragged.

"Run!" Riff pushed Chrysal and Arturo away as they left the dying Combusken.

An uproar began to sound through the village while the family made their way on the pathway. As Arturo turned his head to the left, he could spot several strange Pokémon unfamiliar to him that are fighting against each other. The shouts. The blood-curling wails of pain. Arturo couldn't get any of it out of his head as he hurried towards the nearest route out of the village.

"Riff! Chrysal!" Voices called out. The Carpaice family momentarily halted to see villagers heading their way, including the Gogoat that made his usual rounds of delivery. As Riff turned, he was able to notice a building starting to topple on the pathway between them. "Stop!" He shouted. The villagers slowed down just in time to see the building crash into the ground. "It's too high!" A villager shouted.

"Are you all alright!?" Riff shouted. He grabbed a piece of the fallen rubble. "Let me–"

"Don't worry about us!" The Gogoat shouted. "We'll make sure we find a way out! Just get away, don't wait for us!" Riff shivered. If they were hurrying from over there, then there could have been a big chance that the fighting over there was really rough. "Please, go!" The villagers at the other side shouted.

"Ngh…" Riff released his hold on the rubble, discarding his effort to help the villagers. He turned back to his family. Gritting his teeth, he shouted. "We have to go, now!" The family of four resumed their movements, rushing through the village bound to enter ruin. The cries and shouts ceased to stop, instead growing in intensity. As they ran, Riff turned back at the direction where they left the other villagers. Guilt continued to hit him hard as he felt he abandoned them to their imminent deaths. Yet, he didn't know what to do right now. He was entirely confused on what was the right thing. Riff began to slow down in his running until he halted. Chrysal and Arturo both noticed that.

"Papa?" Arturo said.

"Chrysal! Bring the kids to the "safe place"!" Riff said.

"What about you?!" Chrysal asked.

"I'm sure I can find another way through to find the other villagers! But make sure you-NO!" Riff stared up and he suddenly rushed and shoved Chrysal and Arturo. A deafening crash resounded as a building collapsed ontop of Riff.

"Uh…!" Chrysal lifted her head and saw the fallen remnants of the building. Riff was there when the building collapsed. She could see his arm sticking out of the rubble. There was no slight movement. She was hoping for her husband to be alive, but her hope was crushed as what was unmistakeably blood seeped out near the arm.

"P-Papa…?" Arturo mumbled, hesitantly walking over to the collapsed building while watching his mother shake and sob. Chrysal coughed, sniffling loudly as she wiped her tears away with her free vine. "Riff…" She muttered softly. "I… I have to protect my children…" She turned around, taking one last look at the collapsed building, where her husband laid under. Chrysal turned back to Arturo, picking him up with her vines and with both children in tow, hurried along the path.

Soon, they passed by the village's fence, which was destroyed through the war. Chrysal hesitantly turned momentarily before she turned back to look in front of her. 'Not far from the "safe place"…' The mother thought. She slithered swiftly past the trees, the environment getting denser and denser with each movement. Soon, she let Arturo down. "Mama?" Arturo whimpered. He was covered in dust all over. The same was said for Chrysal herself. She looked down at Ban. She had did all she could to shield Ban from the dust, yet he was dirty in the end, but not as much as them. Chrysal headed over to a tree, tapping the trunk with a vine. The vine slowly rubbed along the tree's trunk. It stopped at a spot before she moved it, swinging part of the trunk open and revealing a spacing through the tree's trunk.

"Hide." Chrysal shoved Arturo into the enclosed space in the tree. The space was small, but it fitted Arturo's size perfectly. "Mama…?!" Arturo said. He was suddenly handed with Ban on his hands. "Please stay here." Chrysal said. "When everything's over, I'll come back here."

Arturo was silent before he shook his head. "…You're lying. I can tell, Mama."

"…I love you, Arturo, Ban." Chrysal gave quick kisses on both Arturo and Ban's heads before she backed away and shut the hatch. Arturo's chest beat rapidly as he tried to calm himself down. "Ma…ma…" Ban started to whimper.

"S-Shh…" Arturo tried to soothe his baby brother in a hushed whisper. "Don't cry…"

"W…Waaaah…" Ban was crying.

"Please don't cry…" Arturo tried to sing a song that his parents usually did when he was little. "H-Hush… now… little one… I-It's just… a… b-bad dream… D-Don't worry… I'd be there… for y-you… So… s-sleep tight, little one… H-Have a good dream…" He continued in his attempt to resist crying as he sang. It was getting quiet, so Arturo turned his head down. Ban had stopped crying, and had fallen asleep. Arturo remained in his position, holding onto Ban carefully. He couldn't handle it. He tried to supress the sound coming out of his mouth as he cried and cried.

"*hic*… Pa… pa… *cough*… *sob*… *hic*… Ma… ma… *hic*… *sniff*… *hic*…"

* * *

He didn't know how long he slept. He couldn't hear any noise from outside. But he couldn't tell either whether there was anyone there, friend or foe. Arturo turned his head down at Ban. His baby brother was sleeping lightly. That was a good sign… Ban is at least unharmed.

He could hear footsteps. Arturo stayed rooted at his spot, not like he could even escape to anywhere else. His hold on Ban tightened slightly while his heart began beating rapidly. The footsteps were starting to become louder, and Arturo realized that whoever is outside there is heading towards the direction of the tree. The footsteps eventually came to a halt. Arturo stared at the hatch keeping him hidden, and it opened. Arturo froze while shutting his eyes as the light glared at him.

"…Arturo? Ban?"

Arturo's eyes slowly opened, taking time to adjust to the glaring light whilst trying to make out the shadow looming above him. Once his vision fully adjusted, he was looking at the village's elder. "E-Elder…?" he spoke. The elderly Trevenant helped Arturo out of the tree. "Your mother said that I would be able to find you here…" Arturo looked around the village elder. There weren't anyone else around besides him. Arturo looked up at the village elder. "Where's… Mama…?"

"Your mother…" The village elder soon became silent. He stared at the grassy floor for what seemed like eternity until he looked back at the child and his baby brother. "…She passed away." Arturo felt his heart wrench at those words. His mother… was dead…? He is… the only family left along with Ban… "I… was trying to head out of the village when the fight started… I'm an old man… so, I couldn't move as fast as the other young 'uns… Your mother found me in the village… She helped me to get out of the village… By the time we managed to get out… your mother suffered many injuries from protecting me… to the point… that I couldn't help her… Before she passed away, she told me of your location… and wanted you two to become strong…"

"Mama… why…?" Arturo started to sob.

"We should head back…" The elder said. "It's not safe to be standing here alone…"

When they returned to the village, they found its' state to be the worst. Heavily damaged buildings were at the places where structured buildings once stood. The ground was damaged to the point it would have been first seen as erosion. Not only that, it was also colored with blood and debris, along with lifeless bodies of the villagers that once inhabited the ruined village. The village elder tilted his head upwards, staring at the foliage of the trees around the village. They were a deep shade of red, just like blood. In just one day… the village was lost in the hands of war. Eventually, it was started to be named as Blood Forest…

* * *

Arturo finished writing the last letter in his message. He gazed at his message quietly, reading through it. Nodding to himself silently, Arturo folded the message and sealed it within a letter. As Arturo placed the letter at a side, the door in the room opened. Arturo turned. "Luca…"

"Hm? Arturo? What're you doing over there?" The young Politoed asked.

"This…" Arturo looked at his message. "I was writing a message to my little brother."

"Ban, right?" Luca said.

"Yes." Arturo replied.

"Could I…" Luca said before he trailed off. "…Never mind. I'm just being nosy, am I?"

"No, not at all." Arturo said. "If you'd like to know what my message is about, it is fine." Arturo looked back at his message. "Ban didn't know much about his babyhood and he wanted to know about my parents."

"Ah, that's right… your parents passed away…" Luca looked down.

"Mama and Papa were very nice people…" Arturo sighed. "And they died because of war…"

"Cone to think of it…" Luca pondered. "I did remember reading about something like this in my history lessons about your home… There were two armies that fought in the forest. It'd seemed like the battle would never end… However, just by the interference of a single individual, the fury of the two armies were quelled."

"…Ah, so it did end, after all…" Arturo said.

"…War… is a really terrible thing, isn't it…?" Luca said remorsefully.

"…" Arturo closed his eyes.

"I'm… going to sleep now." Luca said. "Are you going to do anything else?"

"No, I have nothing else to do." Arturo replied.

"Ah, okay then… good night." Luca got on the bed and snuggled himself within the blanket. His sleeping was nearly signified by a sounding snore. Arturo sighed, and he turned to the lamp resting on the table, flicking the switch.

 **EX Chapter: Forest in Red End**

* * *

 **Too short… Incredibly short for a chapter… And I haven't updated this story in nearly two months…**

 **I'll get back in my usual writing speed in no time. I hope you'd enjoyed reading this chapter (on in this case, get angst)…**


	47. Chapter 43:As a Hybrid

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Elazul Side**

 **Chapter 43: As a Hybrid…**

* * *

"*thump*"

"…"

"*thump* *thump*"

"…"

"*thump* *thump* *thump* *thump* *thump* *thump* *thump* *thump* *th-*"

"…WHAT!?" Elazul shouted as he shot out of the bed. Damn that annoying sound. And unfortunately, he knew what was the origin of the sound. He turned to the window in the room, spotting Io appearing from the window and then disappearing. Io jumped up and waved his hands and he dropped down. This continued as Elazul continued to stare at the window.

"Geez…" Elazul rubbed his mane, looking down. He looked at the window. "Fine, I'll come out now!" he said. Then, Io ceased to appear from the window. Elazul grumbled as he headed to the bathroom to take a shower. While the lukewarm water ran down on his body, he thought about the previous days he has spent in Eirini. About knowing more of himself as a Hybrid.

* * *

Resting his back against a tree, Elazul silently watched some of the villagers tending to the village's farm. Eirini was surrounded by mountains, and the mountains were nearly impossible to scale. On top of that, the entire village refuses to leave Eirini as not to be found out by other "antagonistic forces". So, he learned that the village had adopted agriculture because of those sole reasons. Just from that considerable distance between the tree and the farm, anyone over from where he saw were near blurs. However, he could clearly hear the chatter at the farm.

"The harvest's looking good today…"

"Yeah, looks like it's going to be a great meal after this!"

"Hm? There's Elazul over there, ain't it?"

"Hmm? It does look like him. Should we just call out for him?"

"Why not? Hey~! Elazul!"

Elazul could see the 'blurry' villagers waving at him. Yet, he said nothing and tilted his head down. "Heeeeyyyyy..." A voice called out to him, much louder considering the minimal gap between the owner and Elazul. The Noivern shifted his head slightly and he saw Io beside him. The younger Mienfoo had apples on his paws. "Apple?" He said, raising an arm towards Elazul. Elazul stared at him, and for a brief moment, he thought he saw Luca. He grumbled and reached for the apple with his claw. That warmness coming from Io… it'd always remind him of Luca, and what he did to him. In addition, Luca's warmness would always remind him of his deceased little brother… He stared at the apple he was holding. All three of them with that equal warmness towards him gave him apples, a fruit he liked the best. He hesitantly opened his maw, then quickly bit a chunk out of the apple. It tasted sweet. It felt crispy. It felt crunchy. And mostly importantly, its' juiciness. Elazul had always liked that part of fruits.

Io watched him chew on the apple while taking smaller bites from his own. "Is something up?" He asked. Elazul stopped chewing his apple. '…He's not going to answer, isn't he?' Io thought. Much to his surprise, Elazul spoke. "…You remind me of Allen."

Although he was surprised about Elazul answering him, Io decided to continue asking. "Who?"

"He was my younger brother." Elazul explained. "He is a bright and upbeat little Dratini. He'd always try to give things I liked when I was tired from the day's work. He was the only family I had."

"Was…?" Io started to say before he realized it. "…Oh. Your little brother's…"

"He passed away at the age of 6…" Elazul said, his eyes looking down with remorse. "And it's my fault… I couldn't protect my little brother from harm… If I had stayed with him the entire time, he wouldn't have…"

Io continued to look at the hurt face of the older dragon. 'Elazul…' He thought before he decided to speak. "Sorry… but I don't know how to comfort you after hearing about your little… I never experienced the passing of my close ones… But… if I were to say something, I'd think… Allen, was it? I'm sure he wouldn't want to see you all gloomy and mournful…"

"I'm not gloomy." Elazul said. Io tried to stifle a laugh, but failed. "What? What's so funny?" Elazul questioned.

"N-Nothing… you know…" Io said through giggles.

After calming himself down from the laughter, Io finished the apple. "So… how's training?" he asked. Elazul didn't say anything.

"Er…" Io said.

"…"

"…Something happened with your previous trainers?" Io concluded. "I heard them saying that there was a lot of trouble and they ended up resigning from training you."

"…Yeah." Elazul said.

"What's the problem? Surely you can do the basics, right?" Io said. "Come on, show me that Shadow side of your Hybrid blood."

"…I can't access my Shadow side." Elazul answered. It was quite obvious of the silence that followed pertaining to Io's dumbfounded look. "Wait–What did you say?!" He exclaimed.

"I mean, normally, I can't use my own Shadow side at will. It just triggers randomly." Elazul told Io in a huff. He turned his head away. Io just stared at him, slack-jawed. The small Mienfoo shook his head quickly. "No! Nonononono! I've gotta step in!" Io said. "You aren't going to be a Hybrid if you can't even use your Shadow side normally!" He placed both paws around his waist, puffing his chest up. "Okay! I've decided! I'm gonna help you get to that Shadow side of yours! You're gonna be a far-fetched Hybrid in no time!"

"You're a kid." Elazul wasn't impressed. 'And… isn't it full-fledged…?'

"A kid who can use his Shadow side _normally_!" Io punctuated his last word loudly. Elazul closed his eyes. Io wasn't wrong: he did witness it, after all. "Now, then…" Io nodded to himself again. "Follow me!" His feet tapped the ground rapidly as he began to trot away from the tree. Elazul stared at him leaving, then his eyes lowered to the apple core held by his claw. He never realized he finished it. Discarding the core at the base of the tree, Elazul headed towards where Io ran off to. Soon, he met the little Mienfoo in his eye's range.

"You're here!" Io said loudly. Elazul took a look around the area. Compared to most of the village, this area seemed to be either a place that was never used, or it was damaged severely to the point that it lost its usefulness. He studied the dirt ground with patches of dead grass. If Io kept talking about making him as a Hybrid, then… Elazul concluded that this place might have been a training grounds of some sort. At least it looked like it…

"This is it, this's the place where us Hybrids train." Io said. "Just in case we feel a bit rusty, ya see. Oh, and also a good place for you to use your Shadow side!"

"So… what am I supposed to do?" Elazul said.

"Hmm…" Io tapped the side of his head while pondering. "I dunno whether what worked for me will work for you… but, let's give it a shot!" Io walked over to the rocky wall of the mountain that surrounded Eirini. "Over here." The Mienfoo pointed to a hole on the wall. "First step I learnt is about 'resistance'. I sat right at the spot behind the hole over there. I remained there for several hours, relaxing myself in a, err… meditating posture…"

"Meditation posture." Elazul corrected Io.

"Meditation posture…" Io nodded. "So, I remained there, trying not to let anything disturb me. The grown-ups said that this will help me to keep calm in situations and think more ration…ally. I'm sure that's the word… Wait… I'm supposed to act as a trainer… so here goes…" The Mienfoo cleared his throat loudly. "Okay! This'll be a meditation session. You just gotta sit at the spot in front of that hole in the wall. Let go of your worldly desires to help you complete your session."

Elazul found it slightly amusing on how Io was acting grown-up. He decided to play along with it, though. "…So I just have to sit there?" Elazul said.

"One thing to note:" Io said. "Some stuff may come out of the hole. But you must try and not lose focus while being hit by them!" He took a seat on a nearby rock. "I'll be watching over here, so don't think about leaving!" Elazul felt a bit disturbed on his previous sentence. 'Anything could come out..?' He groaned mentally. '…Ugh. If I have to do this to get the hang of my Shadow blood…' He trudged over to the wall, turning around and sitting cross-legged. He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

A drop landed on his head. His brow twitched, but his body didn't move.

Another drop landed on his head. His brow twitched again, but his body didn't move.

A torrent of water suddenly drenched him. Elazul snapped. Shaking off the water furiously, he shot a look at Io, who still remained at the stone he had been sitting on from the beginning of the meditation.

"The point of the meditation is to let go of your worldly senses." Io said, while remaining cross-legged on the stone. "Again."

Elazul groaned and he adjusted himself on the spot before he resumed his meditating posture. Not after a few seconds passed, and he was soaked in freezing water. He shivered slightly, trying to keep his cool. The water stopped abruptly. Elazul breathed. He could relax right now…

…and just as it stopped abruptly, water suddenly gushed out of the hole, soaking him again. Elazul stood up immediately, heading away from the wall.

"No, that's not it." Io said. "You got to stay there and relax!" Elazul looked at him with a frown. He turned at the hole, and then back to Io. Io just looked at him in confusion before his face was suddenly hit by a soaked shirt. After the shirt fell from his face, Io continued to watch Elazul sitting back at the spot and settling himself in his posture. He watched as water fell on Elazul from the hole, and although there were very slight movements, it seemed not to affect him now.

'Heheh…' Io thought to himself. 'He's really into it… and I'm acting as a good teacher, huh. Come to think of it… I was really lazy when I was learning this…' Io yawned. 'Well… I'm sure I can pass him after ten minutes... Just gotta count…'

And so, ten minutes have passed. Io was now lying on the rock. And Elazul had given up for the day, drying himself with a towel. He walked over to Io while squeezing the water out of his shirt.

"Mommy…" Io mumbled in his sleep. "Daddy… Where are you…? When will you come back…?" Elazul looked at the child talking in his sleep. "He fell asleep…" Elazul muttered.

'That's right…' Elazul thought to himself. 'Io's an orphan, wasn't he…? Marian told me about it… Once they found out about his Hybrid state, he was immediately disowned by them… That meant that those 'parents' he had… must have been adoptive parents. Which means… his real parents… must have already died…' He put his shirt on. 'Io's real parents are already dead… and it's because either of them was a Shadow…'

Elazul shook his head. '…Why am I concerned over this boy? It's none of my personal business. Then, again…' He reached for the sleeping Io, placing him over his wing. 'I can't let him sleep here. He'd need a better place to sleep…' Elazul began to head back to Marian's house.

* * *

"Hnn…" Io rubbed his eyes. "Remind me… I fell asleep during the session…?"

"Yes." Was Elazul's reply. It was the next day, and they were already back at the training grounds. Io shook his head. "Guess teaching must be more boring than I thought… Well, guess we'll try again, ya know… I should find something an–"

"You. Aren't. Sleeping. Through. The. Session. Again." Elazul voiced every word clearly.

Io nodded. "Who's the teacher here?" he said to himself. "Well… We just start back at where we left off." Io looked at the hole. "Hm… Maybe I should just show you how its' done, ya know." He trotted to the hole, sitting cross-legged with the hole behind him. He remained there rooted in his spot… when a drop hit him. Yet, Io didn't flinch. A powerful downpour, and Io remained stalwart under the heavy pour. Eventually, after random showers of water, it ended. Io got up from his spot, quite drenched, but he didn't move at all through the shower. "I guess it's something like that." Io replied. "You gonna try it again?"

He got his answer as he caught a shirt. Elazul had already headed to the spot beneath the hole and sat there. He breathed and started to relax himself, preparing himself for the water to come down on him. He gently remained in his spot as a shower hit him. Then it changed to droplets. It changed again, this time as a gentle stream. The flow of water continuously changed every small interval.

…Although there were several flinches, Elazul remained unmoving under the water. Now, he has not moved a muscle ever since the third flow of water. Io nodded to himself, watching the entire time, and not half asleep. Getting off the rock he had been sitting on, Io gave a loud shout. "Okay! That's enough! Come back over here!" Elazul opened an eye, hearing Io. He got up from his spot and walked over to Io.

"I'd say that you've mastered resistance quite well now!" Io beamed. "Great job!"

"…There was only water coming out of that hole, wasn't it?" Elazul said.

"Ahahahah! Yup! I lied that there would be plenty of different stuff coming out!" Io laughed. "Still… It's not over yet! You've still got ways to go to beam me!"

'…it's beat me.' Elazul thought.

"Anyhow… The next one will take some time for me to think of. So, how about you do your own stuff for now?" Io said. "Sounds good?"

* * *

"Elazul, are you in there?!" Elazul heard the door open loudly, also snapping him out of his recollection. Through the steam in the bathroom, he saw someone small enter.

"GAAAAH!"

"This place is so steamy… Ah, there you are! I wanted to make sure you're rea–…Woah."

"IO!"

"That's really… wow… I don't know what to say…"

"…Io?"

"Yeah?"

"GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM AND WAIT LIKE I F**KING ASKED TO!"

* * *

"HAS NO ONE TAUGHT YOU ABOUT F**KING PRIVACY?!" Elazul roared. "YOU DON'T BARGE IN WHILE SOMEONE'S SHOWERING!"

"W-Well…" Io explained. "I couldn't find you anywhere in the house. Marian said that you hadn't left the bedroom yet… so I checked there, and you weren't there… So… I thought that you'd be in the bathroom!"

"This, strictly, does not mean that you enter a bathroom!" Elazul said.

"Ah, okay, okay…" Io nodded. "Don't enter a bathroom if you're in there, got it. Now, what was it that I wanted to say…" Io rubbed his head for a while, then snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! I got the next training session ready for you! It'll be a blast!"

"Sure, yeah." Elazul said, turning to feed Fennikusu. "Now, can you go?"

"Sure!" Io ran out of the room… before entering it again. "Oh! I wanted to ask you one last thing!"

"…Which is?" Elazul raised a brow.

"Do you think when I grow up, I'd be that large?"

Elazul heard Io's question for a while, was initially confused… but when he saw where Io was looking at, his face flushed in a deep red as he let out an exasperated groan.

* * *

"Hmm…"

A figure wondered to himself. He gazed at the cavern's entrance in front of him. "My sensors always detected some sort of strange energy… Yet, there doesn't seem to be anything that was suspicious or odd in the cave… I am 100% sure that there must be something around this place…" The figure rubbed his chin. "…Maybe I am overlooking things here… I should take a rest here…"

Nodding to himself, the figure reached out for the backpack on his back. As he took a seat, some wildlife began to surround him. He looked around the attention he had brought himself to. The wildlife doesn't even seem hostile. A small Poochyena walked over to the figure. The figure brushed the Poochyena's head with a gentle and soft stroke. The Poochyena happily howled and barked playfully.

"There's no need to thank me." The figure responded.

"*graf*! *arf*!"

"Hm? What did you say?" The figure asked curiously. "There are other Pokémon entering this place, but they are never found in the cave, nor are they seen leaving?"

"*arf*! *howl*!"

"Hmm… I think I may have found something… Your help was very much appreciated! Thank you!" As he said that, he looked through his pack and brought out a treat, throwing it at the Poochyena, who caught it with its' mouth.

The Poochyena barked happily before it left. The rest of the wildlife soon dispersed as well.

The figure sighed, his head gazing upwards. "Are you still watching me from over there? Don't worry… I'm fine. It has been so long… about a century, hasn't it? I usually feel a bit rusty… but I don't mind that… You're right… there will be a day where us Pokémon and Shadows would be together… After all, I've heard that there was some sort of product created between the two races…"

"…Don't you agree… ?"

 **Chapter 43 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Elazul del Fable (Noivern) – Hybrid (Part Pokémon, part Shadow… what fate awaits this individual…?)**

 **Weapon: Shell Splitter (Spears)**

 **I'm such a procrastinator. Really. I haven't updated in, like, 3 months. And I seriously thought I was dying at this rate… Well, exams have been a heavy toll and I finished it all! Now, I must be ignited in writing the next chapters at mach speed!**


	48. Chapter 44:Finally Moving On

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 44: Finally Moving On**

* * *

 _ **Fone Village**_

Fone Village. A few months ago, it used to be destroyed by a raid caused by the Shadows. But now, it has already been fully rebuilt. The village had been bustling with new residents moving here to reside in here. In one particular house, a Cincinno roughly the age of a recently grown adult rested on a chair, a letter on her paws. "This is from Van…" she said softly. "I wonder how he is…"

Opening the letter, she first drew out a message and began reading it.

 _Dear Sis,_

 _How have you been? I hope that it is lively back at Fone Village… I've been away for some time after the village has been fully rebuilt…_

 _Right now, I'm still focusing on strengthening myself so that I'd be able to protect those in need. I've arrived at the city known as Vallis. It is an odd place, if I had to say… The city is surrounded by a large valley. Don't anyone worry about a landslide from there? I've heard that this place has a coliseum there. It's a great place to test the results of my training. So, Sis… Please, please, take care of yourself while I am away. Don't let strangers in, and… Looks like I'm over-worrying this time…_

… _Oh, I've also sent an image of Vallis. Hope you like it._

 _Van_

Sara reached into the letter and took out a photo. It was a city surrounded by a valley. Nonetheless, the city is quite populated, it appears. Sara held the photo closely. "Oh, Van…"

* * *

 _ **Fal Isberg Manor**_

"So… he's not up yet?" Arche turned her head to Vanille before she resumed floating around in a movement akin to pacing around had she have feet.

"Nope!" Vanille replied. She was in the longue of the manor, along with Arche, Cress, Celsius, Arturo, Kite, Lucille, Taro and Heart.

"Well…" Arche sighed. "I know that it has been two days since we returned with Irvine back to the manor…" Arche turned to Celsius. "And… also introduced Celsius to them… as a wanderer." The said Ice Spirit was studying the bookshelves in the longue. "Aha… so these bookshelves are the same as back in the spirit world… Yet… these books share an interesting amount of mortal knowledge I've yet to learn about… How very interesting…" Celsius said, taking a book out and opening it to scan through its' contents."

"Meanwhile…" Arche began before an excited shout rang through the room, and possibly the entire manor.

"HELL YEAH! I GET TO GO OUT OF THE MANOR!"

"Yeah… he won't shut up about it…" Cress rubbed her ears. "Ever since his father gave him the heads-up for him to tag along with us…"

"It's been quite noisy." Kite said. "With the most of us here, trying to plan out our next move…"

"Speaking of which… where's Raven?" Arche asked.

"Raven… he's…" Cress walked towards a window and looked through it. She could spot Raven not far from the manor. "Hey, did anyone tell you how pretty your eyes are just like these snowflakes?" Raven said charmingly to a group of women. "I am truly mesmerized by your elegance, and beauty… An everlasting moment of… pure beauty… just like all of you."

"…Flirting on women." Cress finished, turning back.

Taro floated to the window and blew a raspberry. "Perv!" He then floated back to Lucille. "But when will Luca-kun wake up…?"

"I-I'm sure he'd be up s-soon…" Lucille mumbled softly.

"We definitely need him awake… although, I admit I've grown accustomed to the manor…" Arturo nodded in agreement. Cress nodded and momentarily turned to the window and turning back to the group. Then, she turned back to the window again. She could not spot Raven anywhere from the window.

'Must've brought those girls out on a 'walk', huh.' Cress turned back to talk with everyone else. At that moment, she saw the door swing open, someone entering.

* * *

"Aah…" Alvin stepped out of the local bar, burping lightly. "Nothing beats a good meal with two mugs of beer…" He patted his belly lightly. "I'd better not overstay in the bar. I should head back to the others at the manor…"

"Ah, so that's it…"

"Hm?" Alvin stopped walking. Turning around, he was certain he heard a voice familiar to him. The Diggserby crossed through a nearby alleyway and stopped at before he left the narrow passage.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be done with it soon enough… Of course, when the time is right…"

Alvin took a step. 'Raven?' He thought, recognizing the voice. He knew that it'd be rude to eavesdrop, but he needed just a bit more distance to get closer to hearing the conversation clearly. And with that, Alvin headed out of the alleyway and walked left. He stopped walking when he was about to reach the alleyway ahead of him.

"Raven?" Alvin said.

"Hey, Alvin." Raven waved his hand. Alvin leaned his head sideways to see behind Raven. There wasn't anything but just a normal alleyway. Raven smiled, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Just now… who were you talking to?" Alvin honestly said.

"Hm?" The tone in Raven's calm voice remained unchanged.

"I'm pretty sure you were talking earlier…" Alvin told him.

"Oh, you doubt me?" Raven said with a chuckle. Alvin shook his head. "No. Of course not."

"I do seem very suspicious, do I?" Raven brushed his chin. "After all, a certain _someone_ still doesn't trust me. Maybe her thinking has brushed on towards you? It's okay if you feel that you don't trust me. I'm–"

"Okay. Stop." Alvin said. "I don't doubt you. I'll just take it that you weren't talking to anyone." Raven smiled. "That's what I was hoping for. Now if you'd excuse me…" He began to walk before he turned to Alvin. "…Oh. Would you like to follow me? I can help you get a girl, if you want to."

Alvin laughed. "Thanks, but I've already got a girl."

Raven simply pushed his hat down. "Ahahah. Well… I'd be off." And with those words, Raven truly headed off. Alvin watched the direction Raven had left. "Hmm…" Alvin scratched his head. "Still… I wonder who he was talking to…?" After a while of pondering, he shook his head. "…Nah, I don't think it'd be serious at all…" Mumbling, Alvin reached for the left coat pocket, taking out a brass pocket watch. He looked at the time on the watch. "…Geez, it's going to be that late? Ah, I'd just tell them that Raven will be back later."

* * *

Evening fell, and everyone were in the dining room having dinner. Luca had recovered earlier on and was eating slowly. He still felt a bit sore on the joints, though. Although, while nothing was said over the table, everyone was looking at Irvine. The young adult was gorging on the food rather quick. Gai was beside Irvine, and he smiled. He didn't see Irvine eat that fast for a while… He recalled the conversation the father and son had back then…

 _Gai brought Irvine into Rachat's room. "Duke, I've brought Irvine." The Beartic said. The older Empoleon nodded. As Gai released Irvine's flipper, he had prepared to leave the room before Rachat spoke. "You may stay, Gai." The servant immediately stopped. Rachat had never asked him to stay in the room before. But it was an order. Gai turned back and nodded, moving towards a corner where he wouldn't disturb Irvine or Rachat, and also hear them out._

 _Irvine grumbled and he was the first one to speak. "What do you want, old man?" He really didn't want to waste any time with his "stupid, old man". Rachat tapped his hip and sighed. "Irvine…"_

 _"What? If you got somethin' to say, spit it out already." Irvine folded his flippers._

 _"Hm…" Rachat adjusted his collar. "Irvine. The guests already told me everything. And I hid some truth regarding your mother…" The elder Empoleon breathed in and he coughed lightly. "…Your mother is a descendant of the Crystal Bearer of Water a century ago." That's when Irvine's 'brows' rose. "And Gai already told me that you were hearing voices for the past seventeen years." That made Irvine turn to Gai. "Gai!" Irvine shouted, annoyed that his best friend had already told his father that secret._

 _"I couldn't hide it forever!" Gai said._

 _"Regardless to say…" Rachat breathed. "…You're the Crystal Bearer of Water. And with the Shadows terrorizing the world outside the manor, you… are needed." He spoke the last two words as if he spat out venom. "I've held you inside the manor for so long… and I was aware of the dangers… Admittedly… I am afraid that you'd be in grave danger if you went out on your journey with the guests… I don't want to lose you, just as I lost your mother…"_

 _Irvine turned back to Rachat. "So… your point?"_

 _It looked like Rachat was trying to put his pride on stake, trying to force out the words. "…Urh… Irvine… I'll allow you to go on this journey… You can leave… the manor." After finishing his sentence, Rachat shut his eyes. He had finally said it. And he probably knew what was coming next in just a second._

 _As he expected, a victorious shout rang through the room. "HELL YEAH! FINALLY! AFTER SEVENTEEN FRIGGIN' YEARS!" Irvine's shout weren't easy on the other two inside the room. Irvine headed over to his father, placing a flipper on his left shoulder. "Thanks, old man!" He said. "I'll make sure I don't die in the journey, just watch!"_

Gai couldn't help but continue smiling. He is happy that his best friend is finally happy apart from anything involving the Beartic himself. The moment Irvine had rid his entire plate of food, he got up from his seat. "Gai, come with me!" Before the Beartic could even protest, Irvine had already held his paw, dragging him out of the dining room. Everyone immediately halted eating and looked at the door where Irvine and Gai left. Well, everyone except Vanille. She was staring intensely at Gai's unfinished plate.

Kite was the first to notice Vanille. "No, Vanille."

Meanwhile, Irvine had brought Gai outside the manor through the back doors They were both snow-resistant Pokémon, so going outside without coats weren't an issue. Irvine stopped as they reached a small garden. At the middle of the snow-blanketed nature, rested a stone. Irvine walked up slowly, moving his flipper to clear the snow off the stone. It was revealed that the stone was a gravestone. The 'born' part of the grave stone was chipped off badly.

 _ **Iris fal Isberg**_

 _ **Born: ~~/…/~~**_

 _ **Deceased: 21/06/A95**_

"Hey, Mom." Irvine said to the gravestone. "Listen, I'm going on a journey with some people I don't even know about… Well, everyone but the vicious brute… How the hell could she forget about me? It just doesn't make sense, dammit." He tapped his foot. "Yeah, I still remember what I said to her. Still, didn't think she'd be such a violent brute after all these years…" He reached for his pocket. "…Ah, f**k. I forgot to bring something." He groaned.

Gai knelt to Irvine. "I'm going to the kitchen for a while, stay here, okay?" Irvine nodded. "Go ahead." Gai immediately headed off. Irvine continued to look at the gravestone. "Well, Mom. I am darn happy to go outside the manor now. But… I'd never thought that you were very important back then…" Irvine paused before he continued speaking. "Daddy and I still have problems." Irvine only called his father 'Daddy' only when no one is around, and he is talking to his mom. "I still don't want to be Duke… it's so much of a hassle… But I'd know you'd want for me to carry on the family bloodline… And you'd get me to be Duke in your own way…"

Irvine then noticed Gai returning, holding a covered dish. "I made this a few days ago. I don't think it'd taste good as it was made fresh, but…" Gai lifted the cover. It was a golden-brown pastry. It is topped with a circle of whipped cream and cinnamon powder. The whipped cream looked rather hardened. "Well, here's your favourite treat." Gai said with a small smile. Irvine took the pastry off the metallic plate. He turned the pastry around with his flipper and was about to open his beak to take a bite…

…But he stopped and placed the pastry on the base of the gravestone.

Gai was surprised. "You actually didn't eat it this time."

Irvine continued to look at the gravestone. "Hey, my mom could use the food she'd always made for me, okay? Just wanna ask you something…" He turned to Gai. "Why do you look out for me so much?"

"Come on, Irvine…" Gai sat beside Irvine with a warm smile. "You know me very well… It isn't because I am just a servant…"

"…It's because I'm your friend." Both Irvine and Gai finished. The two males stared at each other before they both laughed out loud. Gai looked up, still holding a smile. "Still… you're leaving tomorrow. I'm rather sad about it, missing your company… and avoiding women more often… Of course, when you come back, I'll make sure you get your dessert ready!" He turned to Irvine, about to speak. It was then he noticed that the Empoleon had already fallen asleep. "Irvine…" Gai smiled. He got up and placed his paws between Irvine's flippers and lifted him.

* * *

"So… we're leaving tomorrow…" Luca mumbled under his breath. He had been walking along the corridor, heading back to his room. "…But… hm?" He looked forward to notice two Pokémon he had known just recently… "Gai?" The Beartic was carrying a dozing Irvine by his shoulder.

"Oh, hello Luca." Gai said. He adjusted the sleeping Irvine slightly.

"Do you need me to help you?" Luca asked. He doubt that he'd be of much help, though…

"No, it's okay." Gai smiled. "I always carried him whenever he slept somewhere else."

Luca looked at Irvine, then back at Gai. "I've been wondering… what do you think of Irvine?"

"Irvine's like… the annoying little brother in my 'family'." Gai answered. "He'd always depend on my help whenever the situation calls, so normally I'd worry about him going on a journey without me. And you probably saw how immature he is. However… despite all these drawbacks of Irvine, I still care for him. He's the first friend I made when I was found."

"You were found?" Luca said.

"Yeah." Gai nodded. "Rachat found me ashore near the city. I couldn't remember why I was there. He placed me as a servant when he brought me back to the manor. I was so scared of girls and ran away from them, too. That was when I met Irvine. He was about the same age as I was back then. We became fast friends as I served him well despite my youthful age. When his mother passed away, he was shut off from going outside… and he was also traumatized by that incident. So, he couldn't make any friends from outside." Gai looked at Irvine. "And I was the only one who could open him up again through effort. He's my best friend, and my irreplaceable one."

"A best friend…" Luca smiled lightly. "I… also had someone who's my best friend. He may come off as a jerk, but he's actually very nice. He'd always backed me up, put some confidence in myself." He stopped smiling at the last sentence. "But… he's off to somewhere now… I don't even know where he is… I want to find him…"

Gai sighed and patted Luca's shoulder. "Well, I hope you and your best friend get back together again. Just know that I'll root for you."

Luca smiled. "Thank you, Gai…"

* * *

The next morning, everyone was outside the manor, all the maids bidding goodbye to Irvine. Gai was also there, far away from the women, obviously.

"Alright! Let's go out right now!" Irvine raised his flippers. "What's outside…? I can't wait…! I'd make sure I bring a souvenir for everyone here to know about my trip outside the manor! Hell yeah!"

"This is not a field trip, spoilt brat." Cress rolled her eyes.

"Huhhh?" Irvine turned to her. "You say somethin'?"

"Nothing…" Cress turned away.

Gai walked to Irvine. "Well… good luck on your journey." He raised his clenched paw forward. Irvine nodded and clenched his flipper and did a fistbump with Gai.

"Hmm… I'd like to try this mortal activity of 'fistbumping'…" Celsius headed over to Gai. She was completely unaware that Gai was afraid of women… and when she was close for him to notice… "G-GYAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gai shrieked, making a mad dash into the manor. Celsius tilted her head. "Hm? I wonder what has gotten into him." She pondered. Everyone began to laugh.

"Well, off to our next location!" Irvine said. His smile faded, realization hitting him like a damp towel. "…Where the hell are we going to, anyway?"

"We took a long time to discuss, but we've found our location: Vallis." Arche explained. "It's a city within a valley."

"Vallis…" Alvin smiled to himself.

"Where is that?" Irvine asked.

"All the way at the Western Sector."

"Are you shitting me!?" was Irvine's immediate reaction. "That far!? How are we supposed to go to such a far place!?"

"Don't worry." Kite said. Arturo nodded. "Celsius had already discussed it with us. And she knows where to go."

"The ice witch?" Irvine said.

"I-It's not nice to call other people n-names…" Lucille mumbled. Irvine didn't hear her soft voice. "So, where're we supposed to go?"

* * *

"Hey, what gives!? It's a f**king dead end!" Irvine said. After leaving the manor, Irvine was brought to a stone structure of sorts. Celsius headed to the end of the structure. "Please, do not be so loud. This'd bring us to Vallis."

Irvine folded his flippers. "And how the hell are you so sure?"

"Celsius already told us." Alvin said.

"Looks like more things that have wavered off from your head, hm?" Raven laughed.

"Shut up!" Irvine said.

Celsius bent down and pressed her hand-like appendage on the floor. The floor suddenly illuminated with a blue hue, a gentle wind blowing in the room. She turned to Irvine. "Irvine."

"What?" Irvine said.

"We'd need you to shine your Sapphire."

"Oh? The blue thing who was called Cakeo?" Irvine took out the Sapphire passed to him yesterday and waved the gem over the hue. The blue hue glowed brighter, the winds growing after Irvine waved the gem.

'… _I really hate this Crystal Bearer…_ ' Luca could hear Caeruleum whimper. Luca couldn't help but show a nervous smile. He then walked to the now visible circle along with the rest of the Crystal Bearers.

"Is everyone ready?" Celsius asked.

"Yes." Was everyone's reply.

"Now… think of the place you want to go to... and everyone here will be brought to that place." Celsius instructed. "Well then…" Celsius closed her eyes.

"Hey, Celsius?" Irvine said.

"Yes?" The Ice spirit asked.

"When did you get into that outfit?" Irvine pointed to the clothing Celsius wore. When that was brought up, everyone else realized that Celsius wore clothing. She had a sky-blue sleeveless top. At the area where her red 'sash' is, was a brown ring, holding onto the top and a long dress with a parting at the right.

"Do you not like it? Odd…" Celsius pondered. "I'd thought that this appearance would be effective against mortal men. Half the population."

Luca sensed that things would be awkward if Celsius started explaining, so he quickly stopped her from continuing.

"Ah… So, we should go, shouldn't we?" Celsius said, quite disappointed she wasn't able to explain her appearance now. The blue hue glowed brighter, soon covering the room.

And after the glow dissipated, everyone was gone.

 **Chapter 44 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Mystic Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ranger's Blade (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Epee (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Fonic Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Mithril Slugger (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Priestess Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Kresnik+1 (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Brother Figure (Showing great care is nice, to the little girl he worries for…)**

 **Weapon: Brass Boots (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Pink Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Raven – Shady Guy (Who is this strange individual? Everything seems to give off an air of suspicion…)**

 **Weapon: Playing Cards (Cards)**

 **Irvine fal Isberg – Duke's Son (A title bequeathed on one whose' fate is sealed with his blood line)**

 **Weapon – Rare Sword (Longsword)**

 **Celsius – Ice Spirit (The legendary spirit who governs the northern winds. Her powers are not to be trifled with…)**

 **Weapon – Barehanded, Enchanted Hairpin (Hairpin)**

 **Officially, I am too lazy to do Author's Notes… So…**


	49. Chapter 45:Back Together Again

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 45: Back Together Again**

"This doesn't look like a place of rocks to me!" Irvine shouted.

The loud, bad-mannered, and aristocratic Empoleon was unfortunately right. As the Crystal Bearers left the portal through the glow and outside the ruins, they found a lush forest surrounding them. It was nowhere near the description of Vallis…

"Why are we here?" Vanille wondered, looking around the lush life of trees surrounding the very same structure that was back at the Northern Isles. Celsius looked around the forest. "Hmm…" She brought a hand under her chin. "There is only one explanation for our… hm…" She bent a little, drawing out a small book and reading it. "…detour. Someone else here must've thought of a different area, and it seemed to outweigh the rest of our thoughts." Celsius turned back to the group, hiding the book in her dress.

"But all of us had thought about Vallis… Did we?" Kite wondered. He turned to Arturo, about to ask him about his thoughts, when the Serperior suddenly talked.

"This place… It's where… I met her…" Arturo said. Then, as if in a trance, Arturo slithered away from the group, heading towards a direction. "Arturo!?" Luca exclaimed.

"We'd better follow him." Heart said. Everyone else nodded and followed Arturo, also making sure they remembered the route to take back to the ruins. They continued on Arturo's path until they found him stopping at a wooden hut. The building appeared to be on the verge of collapsing at any second with decayed pillars, broken glass windows, and there wasn't even a door. Arturo's head was looking around the hut before he entered through its' open entrance.

"Arturo! Hold up!" Luca said, running and nearly tripping on his robes as he hurried into the house. However, just as he was about to enter the hut, he spotted someone from afar heading towards the hut. It was a Roserade in a sleeveless violet minidress. She was pulling a large log with her bouquet-like arms. "Hm?" Luca stopped and turned to the Roserade heading this way. 'How's she carrying such a heavy log…?' he thought to himself.

"Is she staying in this place?" Cress wondered.

"Hm?" The Roserade noticed the group of unknown Pokémon in front of her. "And who are you?"

"Uh… we are…" Kite began.

"Umm… Uh…"

Arturo had headed out of the house, wondering what was the noise outside when he saw the Roserade. Immediately, he found himself frozen stiff. That was also when the Roserade turned her head towards him. Her impassive eyes were nearly like spears. "You…" Her mouth began to move before it closed. "…Who are you?"

"Ah…! I…" Arturo began to pause frequently and started to fumble with his words in a complete mess, while his face was completely flushed. "My name is… uh, Art…Ar…Arty…"

"…Arty?" The Roserade said.

"N-No! It's… uh…" Arturo shifted uncomfortably. "Ar… turo… And, uh…. My surname… is, uh, well… Car… Cara… Wait… that's not it… Car… pa… ice…" The Roserade tilted her head.

"What up with him, acting so weird?" Irvine said, placing his flippers behind his head and completely oblivious to the scene in front of him, similarly like Vanille, Kite, Lucille and Luca. Taro started to chuckle to himself. The Roserade continued to stare at Arturo, who was still fumbling about. She turned to the rest of the Crystal Bearers, then still dragging the log with no difficulty, she headed into the house. Arturo gasped, appearing to have just realized that the Roserade had entered the house and immediately headed in again. Still rather confused, everyone else entered the house.

The building's interior, as to be expected based on its' outer appearance, was in an unfavourable condition. Moss had already built up in the corners of the decayed wooden walls. A table, already rickety, was placed at the center of the room. There was one hole in a plank on the floor, an odorous scent wafting from it. There was a fireplace, which was the only thing out of the room that was not as broken as the rest of the room. And that's where the Roserade was now at, lighting a fire upon the log. The remainder of the log was laid on her right as the fire began to illuminate the room. Arturo was also near her, staring at the burning log.

"She's staying in such a place…?" Heart said.

"I smell… death in the air." Raven said. Luca looked around and was the first to notice a room towards the left. His curiosity got the better of him as he headed into the room… and he immediately saw a skeletal figure lying on a bed in tattered covers.

"E-EEAAAAK!" Luca shrieked, and he fell backwards. He heard everyone heading into the room. "Luca, what is i-" The voice stopped as everyone else entered the room.

"E-EEEK!" Lucille immediately turned away, covering her face with her hands. Taro shrieked and dove towards Luca, chomping on his face. "…!" Vanille stared, but soon turned away. Kite was rather shocked but didn't say anything. Heart stared at the scene, stunned before mumbling. "How horrible…"

"…Okay…. That's gross…" Alvin couldn't look any longer and turned away.

"HOLY SHIT!" Irvine shouted, taking steps back. "WHAT THE F*** IS THAT!?" He was then dealt with a blow from Cress, sending him down on the floor. "WH-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Cress shrieked, her arms over her chest.

"…" Raven and Celsius just stared silently without any adverse or extreme reaction.

Arturo and the Roserade had just entered the room. The Roserade immediately headed over to the bed, adjusting its' blanket over the figure resting on the tattered covers. She then turned around and tidied up the drawer opposite of the bed. The drawer was already falling apart, with one missing leg, and a completely unhinged cover.

"Does she not realize what has happened to the person resting on the bed…?" Heart headed closer to the bed, looking at the skeleton lying on the bed. Luca had finally pulled Taro off his head, breathing heavily. 'I-I'll take the skeleton than Taro…' he mumbled in his head.

Arche was still stunned at the skeleton. Her head turned to the Roserade who apparently was completely oblivious of the situation. She shook her head. "But this… I don't… Could this be…" she started to mumble. The princess had recalled about some sort of experimentation when she was younger… something about enhancing the subject to gain superPokémon abilities… something not even regular moves could match up to. However, the experimentation was shut down before it could grow any longer. She heard that the young General Grast was involved in stopping the experiment. There were apparently no surviving test subjects based on Grast's report… Had he missed one?

"Arche?" Kite said, noticing how she appeared spaced out. "Arche." The second call brought her attention to Kite. "Is something wrong? You seemed a bit spaced out." The Breloom asked in concern.

"Oh, it's nothing…" Arche lied. Luca noticed Arche as well and was about to speak until he heard Caeruleum's voice.

' _Luca! I don't believe this! She also possesses the power!_ ' Caeruleum exclaimed.

"Huh!? Really!?" Luca said.

' _Yet… I don't think she has come into contact with the respective crystal…We should ask her to join us on our journey._ ' The spirit suggested.

'We'd try.' Luca walked towards the Roserade. "Hm?" The Roserade said.

"Would you… join us?" Luca said. "We could use your help. Well… everyone here could-"

"I'm sorry, but I have to stay here." The Roserade cut him off. She headed back to the bed, looking at it. "I still have to tend to her… And I can't afford to be very far…"

"Err…" Luca scratched his head. 'What do we do now?' He asked Caeruleum. The spirit didn't reply for a moment before he spoke. _'Hmm… It looks like we have no choice… We'd have to come back here at a later time…'_

"I-I guess so…" Luca agreed with Caeruleum. "To be honest, I thought you'd try and force her to join us…"

' _Don't let it worry you…'_ Caeruleum replied. _'I'm sure that we can find a way for her to join your cause.'_

"Hmm…" Luca turned to everyone else and shook his head. He then turned to Arturo. "Arturo? We'll come back later. You may tell us about her if you want to… We aren't forcing you, though."

"Hm?" Arturo blinked before he realized. "Oh… That… will be told later…" Everyone began to head out of the house one by one, Arturo the last one to leave. The poet took a glance at the Roserade before he left. The group headed back towards the ruins as Celsius affirmed them that they can still use the teleporter after Irvine brought it up. Each member was certain that they are all thinking of heading to Vallis so that they wouldn't waste any time going on detours. The light emanating from the ruins flashed once again, taking everyone with it.

* * *

The light had finally died down as the Crystal Bearers stepped outside the ruins surrounding the portal. The rugged walls surrounding the ruins towered above everyone, making them feel rather petite as compared to the other places they have been to… The path ahead of them led to a rather large space filled with structures, all on ascending and descending slopes of the ground. What stood out most of this settlement was a rocky ring-like structure lying at the center of the space.

"So this is Vallis… The Canyon City…" Luca mumbled.

 _ **Vallis, the Canyon City**_

"Ooh!" Vanille's curiosity had led her running ahead of the Crystal Bearers. Her head turned around rapidly as she stopped by at the end of the path, scanning the entire city with her eyes. "It's soooo big!" Vanille cheerfully exclaimed. As everyone arrived behind Vanille, the Slurpuff had turned to them, her stubby hand pointing towards the center. "What's that?"

"Oh? You mean the Coliseum?" Kite said. Adjusting his collar, he spoke. "That is what you can call the main attraction of Vallis. It's a site where people battle each other for fame and glory. Usually. Other than that, Vallis is famous for many things: excavation sites, high-grade minerals…"

"Tell me about the food!" Vanille jumped up and down excitedly.

"Food? Hmm…" Kite scratched his face. "Let's see… because of Vallis's environment, the food made here mostly include hydrating liquids to keep us filled. Also, Vallis is famous for rock-style candy, it's one of their specialities.

"I'm impressed." Alvin said. "You know a lot about Vallis."

"Well…" Kite answered Alvin. "I've been here on a field trip a year ago. I studied Vallis carefully while completing my assignments during my time here."

"Remind me: how old are you again?" Alvin asked.

"Fifteen." The graduate replied.

"So, we have three actual children in our party, eh?" Alvin said, turning to Lucille and Luca, the former and latter being ten and seventeen respectively. Luca still appeared offended about being called a child. "H-Hey! I'm not a child!" Luca exclaimed. "I'm about to hit eighteen in a week!"

"And before that time comes, you're still a child." The mercenary laughed heartily. Alvin gazed forward. "Oh…" He turned to Arche. "Arche, I have something to do here, you mind if I part from the group for just today?" Alvin asked.

"Huh?" Arche was puzzled. "Why? If it's something you can't do on your own, you should ask us to help."

"Ahaha." Alvin waved an ear. "It isn't anything special… But I'll be back tomorrow. Meet me at the Coliseum in the morning!"

"Hmm… Alright." Arche nodded. Alvin smiled. "I owe ya for this!" He turned around and headed into Vallis first, in a rather upbeat fashion to add. Everyone else looked at each other. "Well, there goes one of our Crystal Bearers for today…" Raven said in a relaxed tone.

"Let's find somewhere to eat and stay first." Arche suggested. It was already a routine, so everyone agreed with Arche's suggestion and entered the settlement. The buildings were made mostly out of stone, all apparently standing out impressively. Midway, Irvine complained about his stomach growling, so everyone stopped at a place to eat. Cress was making payment on the counter, with Irvine near her. His head kept looking around the counter, appearing rather confused. He turned to Cress with one of the most confounded looks she had seen. "…What?" Cress said.

"There isn't anything to sign for it." Irvine said. Cress raised a brow. "…Meaning?"

"I mean, you don't just sign to buy these stuff?" Irvine asked. "And what did you pass to them anyway?"

"Sign for it? What are you talking about?" Cress asked. "You've got to pay them with money, brat." Cress took out a gold coin from the pouch she took out earlier and showed it to Irvine. "See this? This is Poké!" Irvine looked at the coin curiously and stared at it for a few seconds.

"What? It's not gold? I don't think I've ever seen coins that weren't gold before." Irvine said. Cress sighed. "So, you don't do really much shopping, do you?"

"L-Like I could help it, dammit!" Irvine shouted. "Remember? Shut in manor for, like, 17 years?"

"And you didn't even take the time to learn about outside before just merely deciding to head out on your own will?" Cress questioned.

"S-Shut up! And what does a no-have violent-pounding brute like you know!?" Irvine yelled.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Cress yelled, having a murderous urge to punch Irvine in the face.

"M-M-Ma'am? S-S-Sir?"

Cress and Irvine turned to meet the cashier who had placed the tray of food on the counter. The cashier decided to speak. "Uh… here's your food, and…" The cashier paused slightly before continuing.

"…I think you two make a fine couple!" The cashier smiled. Cress and Irvine stared at her, then at each other, before they turned back at the cashier with red faces. "NO F***ING WAY!" They yelled in sync, causing the poor cashier to sweatdrop. With that, they both collected the food, glaring daggers at each other. Meanwhile, the rest of the Crystal Bearers had already witnessed the scene. "…This is going to be a loooooooong journey…" Luca sighed.

* * *

After that… uneventful experience, everyone decided to find an inn later and separated Irvine and Cress from each other so they wouldn't have another fight. The two groups went on separate duties: stocking up on supplies and purchasing new weapons. On the plus side, they bought plenty of new weapons for most of the party, except for Irvine and Celsius, neither of them having any need to hold new equipment. Although Alvin wasn't present, they decided to buy a set of gunblades for him, anyway. After seeing that they were done, the Crystal Bearers met together and checked into the town inn for the night.

Lucille yawned loudly, rubbing her eyes. Taro was already dozing in her arms. Kite turned to Lucille. "Lucille, let's go to sleep now. We won't know what's in store for tomorrow, so it'd be wise to sleep early…" The Breloom took Lucille to their assigned room.

"Luca! Let's sleep together!" Vanille grabbed Luca's hand, much to the Politoed's embarrassment. "A-Again? D-Didn't we sleep together last time at the manor?"

"What with this place!? It's rock-hard and bumpy and a whole-hell-of-uncomfortable!"

Cress rolled her eyes as the owner of the voice stormed out of a guest room. "Irvine, you're all complaints ever since we left the manor." She turned around to meet Irvine.

"I only want a real bed, and some real food! What's up with that!?" Irvine scratched the back of his head. "Sheesh… and I never thought of these things back at the manor…"

"If you don't like this inn, there's nothing saying we have to stay." Cress said, folding her arms over the other. "I don't mind leaving this instant, and then when it gets dark, sleep outside."

"You're kidding!" Irvine retorted. "Any inn is a thousand times better than sleeping outside. Fine, I won't complain anymore."

"Good. Let's sleep right now." Cress said as she headed into her room.

"I'd never thought I'd feel homesick so soon…" Irvine mumbled under his breath.

* * *

As the sun dawned into the skies, the Crystal Bearers had a well-made breakfast before heading out of the inn. Although, when they stepped out of the building, they could see a lengthy line of Pokémon facing towards the direction of the Coliseum. "What the hell, man!? Why's there so many people!?" Irvine exclaimed.

"We're going to have trouble finding Alvin when we get there…" Heart said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I sense that this line is simply for competitors." Raven assured everyone. "We can simply head there as regular spectators ourselves… And I've have the leisure of exploring the women to be found…"

"Either way, it appears that something big is happening in the Coliseum." Kite said. "I think it was… a competition, I guess?" Cress looked around as everyone neared the Coliseum. "How're we going to find Alvin? He's practically a needle in a haystack here!" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure that Alvin will be back here soon… We'd just have to-Oh!" Luca bumped into someone and he lost his balance, falling on his rear backwards. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry…" He apologized.

"Don't worry abou–oh? it's you!"

Luca rubbed his head and looked up to the person he bumped into. He was an Infernape. He dressed himself in a simple garb consisting of a black shirt, a belt, a pauldron over his left shoulder, and dark blue pants. Several straps are tied around his legs and he wore brown boots.

"V-Van!" Luca exclaimed.

"Yes, it really is you, isn't it, Luca!?" The Infernape said, helping Luca up on his feet.

"Woah… It's you, Van…" Luca was elated to meet his comrade from a few months back. "But… what're you doing here? And… where's your sister?"

"Me?" Van said with a smile. "I'm simply travelling around Niata, seeking stronger opponents. I've heard of something about a tournament being held here and, well, I rushed in here to participate as a competitor! Oh, and Sara? She's back at Fone Village, and it's fully rebuilt, thanks to the princess's help!"

"Wow! That's great!" Luca said, nodding. "Congratulations!"

"I'm glad to see my hometown back and running." Van nodded. He turned to the rest of the group. "Ah… Vanille, Arche, and Heart!" he recognized the three females very well. He turned to Arturo and Cress. "…Arturo and Cress, right? It's nice to see all four of you! And… who are these new people?" He turned to the rest of the group who were unfamiliar to him.

"Oh…!" Luca explained to Van. "They're our new allies!"

"I see." Van placed a hand on his chest before speaking with a heartfelt smile. "Van Grantieur. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." The Infernape introduced himself.

"I'm Kite Maxwell." Kite introduced himself. He turned to Lucille, her hands wrapped around Taro. "And this is Lucille and Taro."

"You may address me as Raven." Raven bowed with a slight tilt of hit hat.

"Irvine fal Isberg." Irvine said in a laidback manner.

"Celsius." Celsius introduced herself.

"Hmm…" Van scratched his chin. "…Yes. You're a reliable lot. I can depend on you guys. And you're all Crystal Bearers…"

"H-How did you know…?" Lucille was surprised.

Van smiled at the Ralts. "Because I'm the same." Spreading out his palm, he conjured his Ruby above it.

"A C-C-Crystal Bearer!?" Lucille gasped. Van simply grabbed his Ruby and placed it in a pocket. "Yes. The Crystal Bearer of Fire, to be exact."

"Hey!" A voice called out to everyone. Turning around, the group saw Alvin approaching them. "Van!" Alvin walked towards Van. "Didn't know you were here!"

"Likewise. It's a pleasure to meet you, Alvin." Van shook Alvin's ear. He turned to Luca. "…I guess… You need my help, right?"

"W-Woah, how did you know!?" Luca said.

"It's quite obvious, based on how many Crystal Bearers there are here." Van smiled. "There wouldn't be any other reason otherwise. Right after I finish this tournament, I'll join you guys! You don't have to worry; Crimson Blitz and I will do our best to help!"

"Crimson… Blitz?" Arche wondered. Van unsheathed the broadsword on his back, showing it to everyone. "That's the name I gave to this weapon." Van said. The blade was of a brilliant crimson–just like its' name. The hilt was crafted which one hand could wield it easily. And speaking of one hand…

"Van! You're carrying it with one hand!" Vanille said. "Wow!"

"Well, just goes to show you how experienced I've become for all these months…" Van sheathed his broadsword on his back. He looked at everyone else. "Say… if you don't have anything to do for now, why don't you watch the coliseum battles? It'll be a great way to learn some battle advice!" Van was smiling. It didn't look like he was accepting 'no' for an answer, either… Everyone nodded. Van smiled and turned back to the front of the line.

"Oh, look. The line's dwindling. I can see the counter!"

 **Chapter 45 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Rune Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Rune Blade (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Rune Hammer (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Serpentis (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Brother Figure (Showing great care is nice, to the little girl he worries for…)**

 **Weapon: Stone Greaves (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Comet Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Raven – Shady Guy (Who is this strange individual? Everything seems to give off an air of suspicion…)**

 **Weapon: Four of Spades (Cards)**

 **Irvine fal Isberg – Duke's Son (A title bequeathed on one whose' fate is sealed with his blood line)**

 **Weapon – Rare Sword (Longsword)**

 **Celsius – Ice Spirit (The legendary spirit who governs the northern winds. Her powers are not to be trifled with…)**

 **Weapon – Barehanded, Enchanted Hairpin (Hairpin)**

 **Van Grantieur – Free-spirited Swordsman (No longer feeling bound by anything, this warrior now treks on his path made by his own choices)**

 **Weapon – Crimson Blitz (Broadsword)**


	50. Chapter 46:Rush of Swords

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 46: Rush of Swords**

 _ **?**_

It was a large room. A simple white room. It was very quiet, save for the rhythmical tapping of a keyboard as a green, gelatinous creature dressed in an uncomfortably large white coat. The head of the creature ever turned so slightly as the 'fingers' ran over the keyboard. The creature itself was known as a Reuniclus. The pale green Psychic Pokémon lifted one hand, and a book was opened automatically, and it hovered below the Reuniclus's black eyes. Waving the hand back to a direction, the book floated back to its' original position, closed along the way. Then, the tapping resumed.

He could hear something slide. Without even lifting his head, the Reuniclus spoke. "So, you've come." Heavy, metallic footsteps echoed in the room before they stopped. The Reuniclus finally stopped typing on the keyboard afterward. Hovering ever so lightly, he turned around to meet the visitor. It was a figure clad in black armor, a helmet concealing its' face. A blade of some sort was hanging on the left side of the figure.

"Mr. White." The armored figure said. "How is it?"

Lifting a hand slightly, the Reuniclus, or Mr. White, brought out a syringe from a set of apparatus. "You know what to do." Mr. White said. The armored figure said nothing, and simply removed a gauntlet, leaving the black piece of armguard on a table beside the armored figure. Underneath the gauntlet, was a short white arm. Mr. White injected the syringe into the arm. The syringe was quickly filled with blood as the piston was drawn back. Carefully, the syringe was pulled out psychokinetically, a swab of cotton was immediately placed on the area where the syringe was injected. With a wave of his hand to the right, Mr. White directed the syringe to insert into a machine. The blood of tube was drained rapidly as the machine began to beep more intensely after every passing second. The moment the syringe was empty of blood, a large display above the keyboard was filled with many programs, detailing numerous topics and other scientific matters.

Mr. White tapped a few keys, minimizing some of the windows and left the ones necessary untouched. He nodded attentively at one display, then moving on to the next. Words were typed out rapidly in document by document. "Hmm… It'll take a bit of time for the results to process…" Mr. White said. His eyes looked down at the keyboard, typing at the speed he did before he stopped to greet his guest.

"…I have seen her." The armored figure said, disposing of the swab of cotton in a wastebasket.

The Reuniclus immediately stopped typing. The armored figure continued speaking. "Months ago. She was as fine as any other Pokémon. And… as you would have guessed, she looks like me." Silence soon began to fill the room as the sentence ended. Only the ever-changing display of the monitor had mattered currently. Mr. White looked up. "…So… She still lives. All of the others expired within two years or so… but… how long has it been… since that?"

"Eight years." The armored figure replied, placing its gauntlet back on its arm.

A new window opened after the armored figure spoke, displaying the results of the test. Mr. White read through the results in the monitor. "And yet, nothing has changed since that period of time… Your cells haven't changed a bit… It's just like the previous tests…" A sigh escaped his mouth.

"I see." The armored figure turned around, heading for the door. It was about to reach the door when it was called out. "God General!" The armored figure turned back to Mr. White. "…Do you still really intend to do this?" The Reuniclus questioned.

"It doesn't involve you." The armored figure said. Having said that, the armored figure turned back to the door. The door automatically slid open as the armored figure walked towards it. As the armored figure left the room, the door slid back closed, leaving the white room as silent as it was before, save for the breathing of the only one inside it and the beeping of machinery.

* * *

 _ **Vallis's Coliseum**_

"The victor is Van Grantieur!"

The referee of the match waved his hand to the Infernape standing at one side of the coliseum battleground. With a nod, Van spun his broadsword once before sheathing it on his back. "Yeah!" A certain Slurpuff jumped up and down. "Van won!"

"H-Hey, Vanille…" Kite sighed. "I know you're excited that Van won his matches, but… could you keep your excitement down? The others behind you can't see if you keep jumping up and down…"

"Oh!" Vanille plopped back on her seat.

Celsius pondered as she watched the battle. "Ah, I see... So this is a tournament..." she said to herself. "A set of battles in which competitors battle for fame and glory... Hm... Maybe I could recommend this to the other Spirits..."

"Whaddya know, the guy's strong." Irvine said, lying on the seats on his back with one foot handing from the seat, unlike everyone else, who are seating normally. "Maybe I could ask him if he could teach me those."

Cress watched Van help his opponent up, taking them indoors, most likely to help them treat injuries. "Yeah, even if he's grown stronger… has he always been this compassionate?" she said.

"I-It's so s-scary… and l-loud…" Lucille mumbled. Kite immediately went to comfort her. "Don't worry about it, Lucille, Taro… The competitors aren't actually going to kill each other. It's just a bout of sportsmanship." Kite said to her.

"B-But… why do they fight…?" Lucille said. "I-I don't g-get it…"

"…" Kite looked down. Should he be honest? Or should he lie? Although, while he hadn't given Lucille an answer, everyone else was talking to each other, until…

"U-Unbelievable!"

The Crystal Bearers turned back to the battlefield in the midst of their conversation. They could see one competitor already down on the ground, the other one completely unscratched. "The moment the battle began, it has already ended! The victor is, uh…" The announcer turned to the referee, who turned to meet the victor's side, only to see no one there. "…the victor has already left the battlefield…" the referee answered the announcer.

"What the heck just happened?" Irvine said.

"The match started seconds ago, didn't it?" Alvin said.

"Did anyone see it?" Heart asked.

"I didn't." Luca admitted.

"Neither did I." Arturo said.

Arche turned to the direction of the victor's side. "But… Van may have trouble facing whoever that was."

"Today was a very grand occasion… we had numerous competitors from all around the world come here in Vallis for an epic display of skill and wits! And now, we have our final eight contestants here!" The coliseum announcer announced. "Presenting the competitors for the first round of the quarterfinals… We have… the villager hailing from Fone Village… the Free-spirited Swordsman… Vaaaaaaaan Graaaanntieeeeeeur!"

"Honestly…" Van said to himself as he stepped into the battlefield. "Do they have to come up with these introductions?"

"His opponent, an archer who seeks big bounties – Please welcome, Ezrelis Runis!" The announcer said. Then, opposite of Van's side, a Decidueye appeared from the opened gates. The Decidueye, Ezrelis, immediately places an arrow on her wing, already in a battle stance. Van did the same, drawing out Crimson Blitz from his back and placed his right foot forward.

"I expect a clean and fair battle here!" The referee said to both competitors, slowly raising his hand up. "Let the battle… begin!" Once the referee swung his hand down, Ezrelis launches an arrow at Van, who sidestepped to dodge it. The Decidueye made quick, yet precise, shots at Van, forcing him to dodge again and again, leaving the distance between them unchanged.

"A ranged fighter, hm?" Raven said. "Van will have difficulty getting close to his opponent. He is more of a physical-oriented attacker, after all."

"Even if Van uses Demon Fang, she'll dodge it easily and continue on with her assault…" Cress said. "If he can't find a way to get close to her, he'd likely lose…"

"Go! Van! You can do it!" Vanille cheered from her seat.

"Easy!" Luca gasped. "You nearly hit me!"

Van landed on his feet after another dodge. "Not bad!" He called out to his opponent. "But I don't plan on losing this match!"

"Less talk: More fighting!" Ezerlis shot at him again, forcing Van this time to block the arrow with his broadsword. 'Hm…' Van thought. 'I won't be up my quickest speed if I continue to hold Crimson Blitz… But it's worth a shot.' Nodding to himself, after dodging, Van quickly sheathed his broadsword back and charged at Ezerlis. The archer was rather stunned to see him do such a reckless move, but continued to fire. Van kept closing in the distance between them as he dodged each arrow, until they were close enough to battle close-quarters. Ezerlis was forced to change battle styles and began to battle Van's fists and kicks with her own. The two appeared to be equal in unarmed battle, but Raven could spot that Van was slowly overpowering his foe. And overpower his foe he did. Passing through a spacing to land one punch, it left Ezerlis staggered and Van's blows managed to get through and eventually knock her down on the ground. The archer struggles to get up, but is immediately stopped as Van drew his broadsword at her. She lets out a defeated sigh, lying on the ground.

"We have a winner! Van Grantieur!" The referee announced. Van followed his routine to help his opponent up and shake hands with them. Irvine stood up from his seat. "This is boring. I'm taking a walk." Irvine walked to the indoor areas of the coliseum. "And don't think about stopping me!" He called out before he disappeared indoors. Cress rolled her eyes. "I swear, this brat will be the cause of all our problems." She grumbled as she watched the ongoing battles.

Irvine puffed his beak as he strolled along the corridors. "Geez, how long will this take? I'm bored outta my mind… It'd better finish soon, or I-" Irvine said and he bumped into someone. "Hey! Watch it!" Irvine said arrogantly, turning to whoever he bumped into. The Empoleon couldn't tell who it was. They had a large hood drawn over their entire body, but they were slightly shorter than Irvine himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you." The hooded figure said. "But, technically, you were the one who bumped into me."

"No, I did not!" Irvine protested. "And who are you, anyway!? I can't tell squat with that on!"

"Oh, my name? Hmm…" The figure shifted lightly. "I'm afraid I an unable to disclose my personal information to you. Which also includes this hood."

"The hell does that mean?" Irvine raised a brow, then he rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you who I am." Clearing his throat, Irvine introduced himself. "The noble aristocrat that stands before you is Irvine fal Isberg, from Felfrost."

"I… I see…" The hooded figure nodded. "Then… what is your reason for being here?" The Empoleon chuckled. "You wouldn't believe it, but I'm here to help save the world and stuff. And we've got people to look for!" Irvine said. "Like, hunting Shadows and stuff…"

"Did you say… Shadows!?" The hooded figure stepped back.

"Yeah, what of it?" Irvine said. The hooded figure nodded to itself again. "Thank you… Irvine. I hope we meet again." The hooded figure headed off to a direction, leaving the corridors. Irvine turned at where the figure had left. "I shoulda' mentioned he was stinky of… what was it… oil or something?" Irvine said. He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well."

* * *

"Arturo…" Luca said, catching the Serperior's attention. "Hm?" He turned to Luca.

"About that Roserade from yesterday…" Luca began. "You… know her?"

"Ah…Oh…" Arturo blinked. "I met her in the forest when I wandered through there. I made the mistake of losing my supplies in a trap, and I was starving, searching for something edible and non-damaging… I… must have passed out from hunger, because when I came to, I found myself in a house, one that did not look very pleasant." Arturo paused, recalling about his meeting. "Then, I met _her_. She wasn't saying anything at all. But she appeared to know what I needed, and she had already prepared some food. I took my time to look around the house after having my meal, and I saw… well, the corpse. Yet, she was completely unaware of it, thinking that it was still alive, no matter what I said. I always felt so odd whenever I look at her, and when she looks at me… I really do not get it… It feels like my heart wants something, but what…?"

"Hmm…" Luca pondered. "What could that mean…?"

"Arturo loves her!" Taro suddenly popped in between them, causing Arturo's face to go completely red. "W-Wha!?" The Serperior gasped. With a wide grin, the Banette doll continued speaking. "Just like how Luca-kun loves Vanille-chan~!" This time, it was Luca's turn to go red all over. With all of the shouting from the remainder of the audience, and how close Taro was suddenly to the two, only they heard him.

"W-Wait! I-It's nothing like that!" Luca gasped out, pulling his hat down to cover his heated face. "She's just a comrade to me!"

"Oh, really?" Taro's grin became wider and more mischievous. "You can't fool me, Luca-kun~. You're in head over heels with her…! I heard you when I bit you when we slept that night in the train! You kept saying Vanille-chan's name~!" Luca pulled his hat down even further, his face becoming more red. 'I-I really said that in my sleep!?' he thought.

"A-And I've just met the woman for the first time back then!" Arturo defended himself. Taro snickered at both of their reactions. "Fine, fine! I'll leave you two alone!" Taro sighed. The duo heaved in a relief. "…For now." Taro suddenly said before he floated behind them and flew to Lucille's spot.

"That certainly was awkward…" Arturo said to Luca, who agreed hastily with him, and pulled his hat back up normally. That was when they heard the announcement for the semi-finalists to enter the battlefield, just merely hearing Van introduced by the announcer.

"And, from the other side…" The announcer said after Van took his place on his side. "We don't even know anything about this individual at all! Yet, in practically record-time, he has finished his matches before we could even blink!" That was when Van's opponent left the shadows of the gates, revealing himself to the audience again. As Van took a look at his opponent, he observed his small form similar to a cicada, a Ninjask. A garb of black covered his entire body, save for the arms and head. A scarf of black was worn around the Ninjask, wrapping around his mouth section like a mask. The Ninjask also had a long vertical scar trailing across his right eye. Yet, the Ninjask didn't appear to carry anything else, but a small pouch and a cylindrical object on his right. "…Give a warm welcome to 'The Mysterious Ninja'!" The announcer finished. Van unsheathed Crimson Blitz from his back, holding it one-handedly in front of him.

"Hm?" Van lowered Crimson Blitz slightly. He just felt something emanate from his opponent. A feeling all too familiar with him. 'Could this Ninjask be…?'

"I expect a clean and fair battle here!" The referee said to both competitors, slowly raising his hand up. "Let the second and final semi-final battle…" The referee waved his hand down. "…begin!"

Immediately after the hand was waved down, the Ninjask immediately disappeared in a black flash. Van was alerted, not having paid attention to the referee's call from earlier and suddenly found a kunai aimed towards him. He immediately raised his blade to block the kunai. Van turned around to see another kunai headed his way, which he blocked it again.

"Too fast!" Cress said. "I can't keep track of that ninja!"

"I-I don't think Van'll win…" Lucille mumbled.

"Heh, it appears that his small size was completely underestimated…" Raven analysed the battle. "With that speed, I don't believe that Van'll walk out of this one with a win this time."

Van kept blocking kunais that kept appearing from everywhere around him. 'Where did he go?' Van tried to clear his mind to focus. But then, he noticed one kunai heading towards him. He prepared his broadsword to block it, but the kunai landed off its mark way further from him… or so he thought. When the kunai sunk into the ground, a line of small stalagmites suddenly rushed towards Van from the kunai. "Whoa!" Van jumped to evade that simple attack. When he landed, he swiftly turned around, raising his broadsword horizontally and blocked an incoming attack from a long blade, a katana. He could see the Ninjask in front of him, holding the handle with both hands. Shortly after their weapons made contact, the Ninjask backed away a long distance away from him.

'I'll just try this…!' Van's free hand gripped the handle of Crimson Blitz. He saw the Ninjask disappear again, but this time, he was prepared. The entire sword was suddenly wreathed in flames. "Searing Gale!" Van announced, turning around with his sword touching the ground and created a wall of flames around him. He could see something dig into the ground before he saw the Ninjask momentarily as he stopped and landed on the thrown kunai and flew backwards before the flames touched him. It, however, gave Van a clear view of where the Ninjask would be. He raised Crimson Blitz above him and swung it down. "Scorching Fang!" As he slammed it down, the flames around him immediately travelled to the sword and out of it as a fast, fiery shockwave. It headed right towards where the Ninjask landed at. The Ninjask looked forward just to see the fiery wave…

A small explosion was created around the Ninjask's area, the audience gasping in awe and shock. Vanille jumped up from her seat. "Whooooah!" She exclaimed. "Did Van get him?" The Infernape had an arm raised in front of his eyes from the shockwave of the explosion. He lowered his arm down as the smoke cleared off. The Ninjask was now lying on the ground, disarmed of his katana. The entire area around him was charred from the explosion. Van walked towards the downed Ninjask while mumbling under his breath. "I really went overboard this time…" As he stopped in front of his defeated opponent, Van lowered Crimson Blitz above the Ninjask. "Sorry about that, but looks like I wi–"

A moment before he finished, the defeated Ninjask suddenly turned into a puff of white smoke, leaving a charred log sliced in half. His katana was nowhere to be seen either.

"What the!?" Van was utterly confused to see the log right in front of him, in place of the Ninjask. He turned around, but it already too late. He found his neck touching the katana's blade, the Ninjask staring at him. A fixed glare towards him told Van everything. There was no way he could make a reversal here. Van closed his eyes and smiled. He released his hold on his weapon, letting it fall onto the ground, hands raised in the air. "…I surrender." Van announced to the referee.

"Van Grantieur has forfeited the match!" The referee declared. "The victor is the… ninja." The Ninjask's eyes kept staring at Van, katana not even lowered away from Van's neck. "…I said, Van Grantieur has forfeited the match!" The referee repeated. The Ninjask remained silent, then he lowered his katana, drawing out a scroll and placing it under the katana, causing the weapon to disappear in a puff of smoke. He turned around, preparing to leave when he heard Van call out to him.

"You're impressive. I couldn't keep up with your attacks." Van smiled to the Ninjask after retrieving his broadsword and sheathing it on his back. He held his hand forward. "Good luck on the finals. I look forward to your match." He said warmingly. The Ninjask turned around, the mouth-mask moved slightly as the Ninjask spoke. "…Individuals like you don't deserve to wield a sword."

Van's hand lowered. '…What?'

"Your heart wavers. You allow your emotions to judge your actions. The way you fight, you'll only end up causing more harm to yourself." The Ninjask said. "Emotions are merely a bane to realizing strength." Van was completely left speechless, his hand completely hanging to his sides. Having said enough to drive his point, the Ninjask turned back to the gates from his side. "I have nothing else to say. Goodbye." The Ninjask's wings fluttered as he left the battlefield. "…" Van stared at where the Ninjask had exited from the battlefield before he turned around and left as well.

"I don't believe it! Van lost!" Vanille said, flopping onto her seat. "And why didn't the Ninjask shake hands with him!?"

"Either way, his opponent was impressive…" Cress mumbled. "The power of a ninja… it's formidable…"

"So many warriors with different talents and skills..." Celsius agreed. "Mortals are intriguing me as time passes, indeed!"

"So, that ends the semi-final rounds, right?" Luca asked Arche. Arche nodded. "That leaves the final round of the tournament… Van should be heading over here to join us… but maybe we could just watch the final round before we leave?" She suggested. "I'm certain Van would like to review his opponent's battle tactics to learn how to effectively counter them the next time he experiences it again…"

Everyone's attention was drawn to the announcer's voice as he began to speak. "We've received grand news, my fellow ladies and gentlemen who have watched the tournament from the beginning! In the finals of the tournament, we have a very special guest of honor today in our little coliseum! He's the Commandant of the Namdiascan Knights…" It immediately caught Arche's attention. "…Well known as the general who stopped the refute between three conflicting cities, and also the closest ally of the Princess of Namdiascar… I would like all of you to welcome with warm hospitality… Commandant Grast Reserlutien!"

Arche's eyes widened. "Huh!?"

 **Chapter 46 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Rune Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Rune Blade (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Rune Hammer (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Serpentis (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Brother Figure (Showing great care is nice, to the little girl he worries for…)**

 **Weapon: Stone Greaves (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Comet Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Raven – Shady Guy (Who is this strange individual? Everything seems to give off an air of suspicion…)**

 **Weapon: Four of Spades (Cards)**

 **Celsius – Ice Spirit (The legendary spirit who governs the northern winds. Her powers are not to be trifled with…)**

 **Weapon – Barehanded, Enchanted Hairpin (Hairpin)**

 **Van Grantieur – Free-spirited Swordsman (No longer feeling bound by anything, this warrior now treks on his path made by his own choices)**

 **Weapon – Crimson Blitz (Broadsword)**


	51. Chapter 47:Likely Troubles

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 47: Likely Troubles**

Arche was stunned. No. Not stunned. Shocked. Surprised. Nonetheless, one feeling that the princess knew she felt was confusion. Why was Commandant Grast here? There wouldn't be anything of interest, not to her own perspective, for a knight of such a high rank like him to be here. But he is here. Why? He didn't appear to be searching for anyone. Well, if he was, he'd be looking for her. Arche _did_ leave the castle without informing anyone, after all. So, it would be reasonable for Grast to be searching for her so that he could bring her back to safety…

But Arche herself knows. She can't let herself be found and recognized by any of the Namdiascan knights, especially Grast: he easily saw through her when she tried to leave the castle under a disguise once. Although, he did let her leave for that very occasion, but not after a scolding and reminding her to inform her subjects should she leave the castle.

The Aegislash which appeared at the top balcony was donned in a cloak covering his arms. Light plates of steel surrounded the remainder of his entire body to provide protection. The shield an Aegislash usually carries in front, is on his back. The Aegislash turned left, and then right. Returning to face in front of him, Grast gave a bow with one lowered arm.

Spreading his arms out, the Commandant began to speak. "Citizens of Vallis, and fellow adventurers. I am grateful for your warm hospitality." He said in a refined and clear tone. "By experiencing this final round, I might be able to find newfound strength for the Namdascian Knights' goal to preserve harmony and peace. Nonetheless, you may…"

Luca found himself nodding as he listened to Grast's speech. "He's an incredible speaker… And he's also looking for people here to support his cause… Right, Arche?" Luca turned to where Arche sat and looked back in front. He paused. 'Wait…' Luca turned back again to his right. He didn't see Arche anywhere. He leaned forward to get a better view. He didn't spot the princess anywhere. "Where did she go?" He said. Arturo noticed Luca bent forward and asked, "Luca, is something the matter?" He leaned forward as well.

"Did anyone see Arche?" Luca asked around the Crystal Bearers to the right.

"Nuh-uh." Vanille shook her head.

"I didn't see her." Kite said.

"I don't see Arche anywhere." Celsius replied.

Van appeared from the left exit of their side, looking around before spotting where his allies were at and headed over to their seats. "I'm here." He said, and promptly noticed everyone looking around. "Hm? Is something the matter?"

"Van, have you seen Arche anywhere?" Luca asked. Van shook his head. "Nope. I didn't see her from where I came." He tilted his head. "…Irvine isn't here, either?"

Cress rolled her eyes. "The brat went out for a walk, because everything is so boring." She told Van.

"Ah, I see." Van said, taking the seat Irvine once occupied. His hand twisted open the cap of a bottle of water he had been holding with one hand and he brought the bottle to his mouth. After gulping down some water, Van started to speak. "You have to admit, the ninja I faced earlier was quite incredible. With that speed, I couldn't keep track of him the entire time. And I was also fooled by that substitution." While the others nodded, Van said more that caught everyone's attention.

"Moreover…. He's one of us." Van finished.

"R-Really!?" Luca gasped.

"Is that why you forfeited in the end?" Arturo wondered.

"Partially. I was distracted when I felt it." Van replied. "Even while the Ninjask chided me for my fighting skills, I took the time to confirm it, and I did. The ninja is a Crystal Bearer."

"And with the Commandant's speech, we're moving on to the finals!" The announcer's voice suddenly called out. "We're now down to our final two warriors for today's competition!" Everyone turned to the announcer. "And now, we welcome them! I'm sure that you know these two very well, by now… So… no introduction!"

Emerging from the right, it was the Ninjask Van faced earlier while the Pokémon that appeared on the left was a Sigilyph. The two aerial competitors hovered lightly above the dusty grounds beneath them. The referee turned to both sided. "You know what I expect, don't you!?" He shouted, raising a hand. "The final round begins…" The referee swings his hand down. "…now!"

Almost immediately after the referee's call, the Ninjask vanished from sight. The audience looked around the battlefield, hoping to spot the Ninjask, but to no avail. The Sigilyph's eyes glowed, and everyone felt a sudden breeze hit them. Then, they could have sworn they saw the entire area of the battle covered within a translucent cube. Then, black flashes began to appear inside the cube. It was the Ninjask… only that there were numerous numbers of the Ninjask in the cube, all of them moving immensely slow, as compared to earlier.

"Hm. Trick Room." Raven said. "Looks like the Ninjask's speed has come as a disadvantage, in the end. He's now a sitting target, well, at least if the real one isn't hit first."

"Still, that's a lot of Ninjasks…!" Cress said, amazed. "I can't tell if that's Double Team, or Substitute!"

Back at the battlefield, the Sigilyph fired out currents of air towards the slow-moving Ninjasks. One Ninjask was slashed apart, only to explode into white smoke. Another hit also suffered the same fate. One by one, the Substitutes were turned into nothing more than white smoke. Although, while horrifying in a 'frozen-like' speed, one of the Ninjasks had his katana unsheathed, turning the blade around slowly. Once the Sigilyph noticed the odd behaviour of this particular Ninjask, it had realized which was the 'real' Ninjask out of the remaining Substitutes. The Sigilyph fired a Psyshock at the Ninjask with the drawn katana as he completes one circle around him. Then, the walls of Trick Room suddenly cracked and shattered apart, dispersing the effects immediately. The Ninjask released his katana, moving his arms together in succession before getting struck by the Psyshock… only to reveal that it was a broken log. And the Ninjask appeared below where its' substitution was hit, katana in hand. He sped past the Sigilyph before it could even do anything else, swinging the katana forward.

The Sigilyph's body receives a large cut before it falls to the ground, not moving. Silence filled the air as everyone stared at the Ninjask. The referee walked up to the Sigilyph and examined the body. Nodding, the referee raised a hand towards the Ninjask. "The Ninjask is the victor!" he announced. From the balcony, Grast was nodding to himself. A figure approaches behind Grast's seat, not detected by anybody else from the balcony.

"As the referee says… We have the final victor of this competition! It's…"

"Hold on."

Just before the announcer finishes, Grast suddenly called out from the balcony. The audience's attention was immediately drawn to the Aegislash as he gets up from his seat. "I found something earlier before I entered the balcony. It appeared to be some sort of supplement designed to enhance the consumer's capabilities. I believe that it belongs to the Sigilyph that participated in the finals. Following the coliseum's regulations… the Sigilyph has broken the rules!" Grast calls out loudly. He points an arm to the Ninjask. "And thus, the Ninjask shall take the life of the cheat!"

"WH-WHAT!?" Luca shouted in shock.

"Huh!?" Kite exclaimed.

"I thought that you said no one will die!" Heart said to Kite.

The Ninjask turns to the direction of the balcony. "And shall he refuse, the Ninjask's life is forfeit!" Grast finishes.

"Seriously!?" Cress shouted.

"I've never heard of this in my entire life!" Alvin said.

Everyone quickly focused on the Ninjask. They witness the cicada turning slowly to the downed Sigilyph and started to flutter towards the body. Van brushed his neck. "That blade… The Sigilyph really won't live…" he mumbled.

The Ninjask stops in front of the Sigilyph. Raising his katana in front of him, the Ninjask turns the long blade so that the katana was pointing towards the Sigilyph. The Sigilyph shifts for a moment, awakening slowly… only to see the katana pointing towards it and the Ninjask staring down at him with a stony glare.

"Don't look!" Kite stretched his arms and covered Lucille and Taro's eyes, bringing them close to him as he turned his head away with his eyes shut. Luca quickly adverted his sight away from the Ninjask.

The Ninjask's arms drove down, sending the katana down to the ground.

The atmosphere grew very cold. Everyone was startled, shocked. No one, despite how much they wanted to look away, couldn't bring their sight from the battlefield. Luca turned back slowly and saw the Ninjask drawing up his blade, dismissing it into a scroll. The Ninjask flutters down slowly, examining the motionless Sigilyph, where fluid was spreading underneath it. The Ninjask then grabs the Sigilyph by the head and dragged the body into the gates while leaving a trail of fluid from the Sigilyph's body.

"Nhhmmmph…" Luca quickly covered his mouth, trying hard not to belch.

"I-Is it over…?" Kite asked, still keeping his, Lucille and Taro's eyes shut.

"…." Van didn't say anything.

"This is terrible…" Arturo mumbled.

* * *

"Aw man! Where the hell am I!?"

A shout from a certain Empoleon resounded in a corridor as he stomped around. Irvine scratched the back of his head, turning his head around. "Which way was it to the seats!? And I heard loud voices from afar! Did some awesome battle happen when I wasn't there!?" he said. He decided to walk forward without any clue on directions to return to the seats.

"…Waiting Room…" Irvine read a plate adjacent to the slightly open door. "…This definitely ain't the way back to the seats!" He shook his head. "Augh, I'm gonna find a map or somethin', and find my way back!" Turning around, Irvine prepares to leave.

"You spared my life… Why?"

"…There is no reason for your passing."

"Eh?" Irvine turned back to the door. "I think I heard someone." Irvine peeked from the spacing and noticed that he didn't see anyone inside. Pushing the door open, Irvine entered the room. He looked around the room. There wasn't much to say about the waiting room used by the competitors. He found another open door and walked near it, hiding himself behind the walls. Peeking slowly, Irvine could spot a Sigilyph. There was another Pokémon there, quite small based on the casted shadow.

"Your blade never hit me, yet… everyone else thought that I had been killed by you. Why is that?"

"…Genjutsu."

"Gen…what?"

"I deceived everyone with an illusion. Now, leave."

"…I must thank you."

The Sigilyph began to turn around to leave, but it stopped. "I've realized that your name was never announced. My name is Rune. What's yours?"

Irvine's head was already poking out from the wall, and he could now see the small figure: a Ninjask.

"…Nin. Nin Azura." The Ninjask speaks.

'Woah, that's a seriously badass-looking guy there.' Irvine thought to himself. He then noticed the Sigilyph turning to leave the room. 'Oh crap.' Irvine stepped back and hid himself somewhere. Not noticing where he hid, the adult peeked around and saw the Sigilyph leave. 'Ok. Now I can leave.' His head was tilted down… and he oddly noticed that his shadow was somewhat… larger. Then, another shadow appeared from his left.

"Hu-!?" Before he realized what's going on, Irvine suddenly felt something hit the back of his neck. It didn't take long for him to fall on the floor.

* * *

Not very far from the waiting room, Arche was floating past a corridor rather uneasily.

"I don't think Grast saw me…" Arche said to herself. "But why is he here…? He shouldn't have any other reasons I could think of other than searching for me… Still, it's too much of a coincidence for him to be here… It can't be… that he was somehow informed by someone?" The princess slowed down with her pacing. "…No, it can't be like that… I… just have a lot of things in my head that I need to sort out as soon as possible." As she approached the end of the corridor leading to a junction, she heard voices. Arche stopped by the corner of the wall, quickly hiding herself from whatever was coming near her. The voices became clearer for her to hear the conversation.

"You heard how loud he was just hearing him talk to some random person? He says that he's the son of an aristocrat. He's going to fetch a hefty ransom, I tell you…"

"He also said he's from Felfrost."

"Isn't that, like, all the way at the Northern Isles!? Man, this'll be double than what we would expect from any aristocratic family living near here!" As the figures got closer, she could see someone else familiar to her…

'Irvine!?' Arche recognized the unconscious Empoleon carried by one of the odd people. 'Oh, no! They're headed this way!' She hid her face from the corner, looking around the things in the corridor to serve as a hiding spot. Soon, the trio passed by the junction, heading forward until one of the members stopped, turning to the corridor where Arche was at.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"I thought I saw… No, it's nothing. Anyway, let's head back to our hideout in the Dusted Dunes…"

"Idiot! Don't say the location of our hideout so freely! You'd never know if any of the officials heard us!"

The footsteps resumed, becoming less audible in the distance from the corridor. On one particular pedestal, there was a statue of a Diancle resting on it. Seconds later, the 'statue' got off the pedestal. "Dusted Dunes…" Arche said, turning to the direction of the spectator seats. "I have to inform everyone!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back at the spectator seats…_

"Irvine's been gone for far too long." Luca said.

"Think he got lost or something?" Alvin said. He turned back to the arena, where he and the audience could see the Ninjask that won the competition awarded with a set of prizes. Commandant Grast was also there, conversing with the Ninjask.

"Your skills are truly remarkable." Grast told the Ninjask. "Of course, I would like to register you as a Namdascian Knight… If that is what you would want."

"I decline." The Ninjask told him. "Merely because I am on a mission. To find someone."

"I see…" Grast nodded. "Nonetheless, if you change your mind, you can head over to the Kingdom of Namdiascar and look for me. I'll handle all the preparations there."

Van nodded to himself. "Okay. We'll go down and talk to the Ninjask and tell him of our mission…" Although, as everyone began to get up from their seats…

"Everyone!"

The Crystal Bearers recognized the owner of the shout as she approached them. Arche gasped loudly before she spoke quickly. "Irvine's been kidnapped!"

"K-Kidnapped!?" Luca exclaimed.

"Augh! I KNEW he'd get into trouble sooner or later!" Cress groaned.

"Do you know where he is?" Van asked. Arche nodded. "Yes… the kidnappers mentioned that they reside in Dusted Dunes… We have to save him, now!"

"Can we not?" Cress said. Everyone turned to look at Cress. The Ampharos sighed. "Knew that wouldn't work…" She said.

"What are we standing around here for!? We have to go, right now!" Arche said, dashing out of the seats and into the hallways. The other Crystal Bearers followed her inside the coliseum. Although, the commotion has caught the attention of the Ninjask and… unfortunately, Commandant Grast. The Aegislash was wide-eyed as he saw the group that left the spectator seats. 'Was that… Arche!?'

The Crystal Bearers dashed through the entrance of the coliseum, running ahead to the direction of Dusted Dunes. Oddly, Raven suddenly halted. Heart noticed this first and called out to him. "Raven? Why did you stop?" she asked. Everyone else stopped running as well and gathered near Heart and Raven. The Zoroark was staring at the direction of the Coliseum. "…It appears that someone has followed us." Raven announced.

Shortly after he finished talking, a figure appeared from above the coliseum, landing perfectly in front of the group. It was the scarred-eye Ninjask from the tournament. The Ninjask eyed the group. "…Looks like one of your allies has gone missing."

"He's kidnapped! Are you here to help us?" Arche asked.

"No." The Ninjask replied.

"Why!?" Kite exclaimed.

"Wasn't that missing ally a liability to your group?" The Ninjask asks them. "If you were to ignore the threat, then you would have less obstacles to handle."

"No, we would not!" Vanille stepped forward. "We're gonna save him, no matter what! He's my friend!" She pumped her arms together. "No matter what!"

"Aren't you afraid of the dangers that lie ahead?" The Ninjask asks Vanille.

"No!" Vanille said.

"…Is this girl an imbecile?" The Ninjask bluntly asks Raven. Raven simply chuckled. The Ninjask turns back to Vanille and looked at her determined eyes. Or maybe too determined… "…Very well. You've earned my respect." The Ninjask speaks. "…I am Nin. Nin Azura."

"Ah…!" Vanille's eyes gleamed. "So, you'll…!"

"Yes. I will lend you my aid." Nin said.

"Nin-sama~!" Taro cheerfully announces. Nin turned to the talking Banette doll. "…The doll speaks." Nin said.

"Your combat skills are really of impressive magnitude." Celsius said to Nin. "You utilize your incredible speed to confuddle your foes before striking them down with lightning-fast strikes."

"Yes." Nin said.

"So… your attire… you're really a ninja from the rumoured hidden village in the Southern Isle?" Luca asked.

"Yes." Nin replied. He noticed Arturo looking at him. "…Can I help you?"

"It's been bothering me… that scar on your right eye." Arturo told him. The Ninjask suddenly twitched. "How did you… gain it?"

"I will not tell you. Just like the dragon spearmon from that day." Nin told Arturo.

"W-Wait…! Dragon spearmon!?" Luca exclaimed. He had realized who Nin could be possibly referring to. "Did you meet someone named Elazul!?" Nin turned to Luca. "…Yes. I recall hearing the dragon introduce himself by that name." Nin told the young mage. Luca's eyes widened. "T-Then, where is he!?" Luca shouted. "Do you know where!?"

"When I parted ways with him, he headed towards the place dubbed 'Academia'." Nin said.

'Academia…!' Luca recalled the days in the large city of education. 'That really WAS Elazul, all along!'

"You seem worried for this Elazul." Nin said. "Is he that important to you?"

Luca nodded. "Y-Yeah…! He's like a big brother to me!" Nin closed his eyes. "A brother…" he mutters under his breath. Luca placed his hands on his chest. 'He was there… He is alright… Thank goodness…' he thought.

"…Let's spend little time talking." Nin began to fly, but Van halted him. "…What is it."

"I sense a crystal from you." Van said to Nin. Nin reached for his side, taking out a pale green gem. "…This?" Nin asked. Van nodded. "Yeah. You're a Crystal Bearer, all right."

"…Crystal Bearer?" Nin said. "…We talk along the way." Nin says as he turns to the direction heading outside Vallis. Everyone else agreed with Nin's suggestion: they spent too much time talking here. It'd be better to explain everything to the new member while they headed to Dusted Dunes.

* * *

 _ **Dusted Dunes**_

"…I see." Nin nodded as everyone else trekked the searing sands, or in his, Celsius and Taro's case, flying. The Dusted Dunes, as its' name suggests, was a large land of sand. Underneath the glare of the now afternoon sun, the heat spared was no mercy on the non-Fire members of the Crystal Bearers. Making a stop on a rising slope, Cress asked everyone. "This place is huge! How are we supposed to find the brat?"

"… _Might I suggest something?"_

"Is that you, Trundir?" Cress and Luca said. Luca had already made pledges to everybody else's crystals sans Nin's Peridot, Vanille's Opal and Raven's Onyx. They were the following: Asras for Ruby, Trundir for Topaz, Bravely for Tourumaline, Nura for Emerald, Soul for Agate, Lilabel for Pearl, Glacia for Lapis Lazuli and Grim for Flourite. The ones that were already in a pact way earlier was Caeruleum for Sapphire, Terra for Amber and Zerin for Garnet. Yet… only the Crystal Bearer of the respective Crystal and the Crystalizer could hear the voice of the said crystal. Before, everyone was usually startled whenever Luca and someone else spoke for no reason… but now that they're aware of this…

" _We crystals can detect other crystals' essences. Right now, Caeruleum is in possession of the Crystal Bearer of Water. We can focus on this scan if we were in the area of our favour."_ Trundir explained. _"In this case, ask Terra. He's the specialist in earth."_

"Okay… Terra?" Luca called out towards Alvin.

" _Hm? What?"_ Terra said monotonously.

"Can you detect Caeruleum?" Luca asked.

" _Alright. The sands are my domain, after all."_ Terra speaks. _"Just stand there while I find Cakeo's essence…"_ There was silence in Luca's mind… for a few seconds. _"Done."_

'That was fast!' Luca said.

" _Hello? Sands are my domain?"_ Terra said. _"Cakeo's located at the right. There should be a large mountain there. Look around for an entrance. If you don't need me anymore, then bye."_ No sooner than that, Luca felt Terra cut the connection. The mage tilted his head. "That was really quick…"

"Tell me about it." Alvin scratched his head. "Well, at least Terra provided us enough info to follow. We can now find Irvine."

Trekking through the Dusted Dunes in the direction Terra had instructed them to go to, the Crystal Bearers could see a giant mountain in front of them. Getting closer, they spotted an entrance in a wall. "So, this is where Irvine is being kept?" Arturo said.

"Well… Based on what Terra said… This should be the place…" Luca said. Everyone turned to Cress, most likely knowing what she wanted to say.

"Okay, okay… We'll save him…" Cress grumbled. The Crystal Bearers headed into the entrance, entering the den of the thieves…

 **Chapter 47 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Rune Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Archelain Til Namdiascar VII – Namdiascar Princess (The princess of the Kingdom of Namdiascar.)**

 **Weapons: Rune Blade (Shortsword), Round Shield (Shield)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Rune Hammer (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Serpentis (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Brother Figure (Showing great care is nice, to the little girl he worries for…)**

 **Weapon: Stone Greaves (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Comet Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Raven – Shady Guy (Who is this strange individual? Everything seems to give off an air of suspicion…)**

 **Weapon: Four of Spades (Cards)**

 **Celsius – Ice Spirit (The legendary spirit who governs the northern winds. Her powers are not to be trifled with…)**

 **Weapon – Barehanded, Echanted Hairpin (Hairpin)**

 **Van Grantieur – Free-spirited Swordsman (No longer feeling bound by anything, this warrior now treks on his path made by his own choices)**

 **Weapon – Crimson Blitz (Broadsword)**

 **Nin Azura – Ninja (Individuals who specialize in ninjutsu to turn the tides of battle)**

 **Weapon – Lai Katana (Katana)**

 **Skit: Earthly Thoughts**

 **Alvin: "Hey, Terra."**

 **Terra: "…Can I help you?"**

 **Alvin (thoughtful): "I've been wondering… Why are you so uninterested in everything?"**

 **Terra: "And? Is there anything else?"**

 **Alvin: "Hmm… I've been having this aching feeling towards you."**

 **Terra: "It appears that you have inherited the earthly thoughts."**

 **Alvin: "…Earthly thoughts?"**

 **Terra: "Oh, yes. The earthly thoughts are a very wonderful power indeed. You can read the thoughts of others through the planet itself. It is a truly, incredible power. You should try it out."**

 **Alvin (unamused): "…That's a lie."**

 **Terra: "Oh, you noticed. Wonderful. You looked like you were excited about the earthly thoughts a minute ago."**

 **Alvin: "…"**

 **Skit: "Getting to know" Nin**

 **(Luca is being shoved near Nin)**

 **Luca (nervous): "B-But I don't want to talk to him…!"**

 **Nin: "…."**

 **(Nin notices Luca…)**

 **Luca (normal): "H-Hello, Nin! So… We're supposed to know each other! What are your hobbies?"**

 **Nin: "…."**

 **Luca: "Um… Do you have any relatives? Friends? Brothers?"**

 **Nin: "…."**

 **Luca (sad) : "Um…"**

 **Nin: "…"**

 **Luca (panicked): "H-How did you get that scar!"**

 **Nin: "…"**

 **(Nin is glaring at Luca…)**

 **Luca (nervous): "U-Uh… This is going nowhere… S-So… how's the weather?"**

 **Nin: "…."**


	52. Chapter 48:Falling Down

**Tales of Faith**

 **Formation Arc – Luca Side**

 **Chapter 48: Falling Down**

 _ **Dusted Dunes**_

 _ **Thieves' Hideout**_

"This is where Irvine's being kept, right?" Kite asked Luca as everyone walked through the craggy area. There wasn't anything to dub this cavern, so everyone settled the name as "Thieves' Hideout". The place, as an interior area, was very dark especially without any lights. Thankfully, after their evolutions, Cress and Van illuminated a wide radius and everyone could see more clearly while traversing in the cavern. Luca nodded in response. "Well, at least from what Terra told me…"

Kite brushed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…" He looked around the surroundings. "Is it just me… or did we already arrive at this point before?" Everyone else took note of their surroundings. In front of them was a branch of three paths. They'd entered the left one… but everything looks the same when they reached the end of the path. they took the right path next… but the result was still the same. And now, they've entered the central path… but here they are.

"Have we?" Arturo mumbled. "But, could there be rooms with exactly the same design?"

Celsius pondered for a moment. "I believe that there must be a distortion of some sort affecting this place." She hypothesised. "I do sense Shadows in here, after all."

"You may be right." Van agreed. "I felt uneasy when we passed through the entrance. But… a distortion?" Celsius nodded. "A distortion is an anomaly. It makes everything normal… unnormal. Like, for instance, this branch will force us to return to this place if we don't find out the right path."

"The bandits made their hideout in a Shadow-infested area?" Alvin said. "Either that is smart, or just plain dumb."

"But, we took three different paths in three different rooms!" Cress said. "There's no way we'd wind up here!"

"…No. We've entered the same place three times."

Everyone turned to Nin. They saw the ninja talking to several of his Substitutes before he dismissed them. The Ninjask fluttered back to them. "Oh, yeah. You were the last one of us all to enter the paths." Alvin scratched his head.

"After the first path, I made clones and ordered them to disperse in the other directions we didn't take." Nin said. "Most of them returned here, in the end. No matter what path we see here, it'd take us back to here."

"We'd return here, no matter what?" Heart said.

"Then, how we find the thieves!? If we're gonna keep going literal circles!" Taro shouted.

"One of my clones noticed something odd." Nin explained. He first looked at several stones around the room. "These stones always point at a specific direction…" He then gazed at a particular section of a wall. "Look at the light." Nin instructed. Everyone did so and realized that there was no light on the wall.

"Light isn't resting on the wall!" Kite exclaimed. Nin nodded, heading to the said wall without any light. He moved a hand towards it. Instead of resting on it, his hand phased through the "wall". "We have our next path. Let's proceed on." Nin said. He fluttered through the newly discovered path, passing through the "wall".

Reaching the end of the new path, the Crystal Bearers found themselves in a new area. There were many statues embedded in the walls. A long, spiral, staircase extended from the base, heading upwards. There were no barriers on the spiral staircase, meaning that if anyone fell from higher up, they'd most likely suffer major injuries or most likely, death. And speaking of falling, there appeared to be broken pieces of bones surrounding the center… adding to the stench surrounding the room.

"…We have to go all the way up there…?" Alvin said. He didn't sound too happy…

"…At least it'd be a good workout for some of us." Van said, walking up first. Nin, Celsius and Arche took flight in the center of the room, all three of them at level under Van's location on the stairs. Everyone else soon followed Van, with Cress being the last. They kept going up the staircase, being careful not to fall off from the center. They kept on running… and running… and running…

"I c-can't keep running…" Lucille stopped to catch her breath. Kite turned to see her and headed over to her. He knelt down with his back facing her. "Here. You can get on me, Lucille." Kite offered. Lucille gasped lightly. "Come on." Kite said, inviting her on his back. Lucille lowered her head for a while before she got on Kite's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Up we go!" Kite stood up and resumed walking. Taro snickered lightly to himself. "Kite-kun~…" He sang as he continued ascending playfully.

"Whew! These stairs are really taking a toll on you…" Alvin was slowing down with his climb, taking a few breaths. Raven turned around, chuckling. "I suppose stairs aren't part of your expertise as a mercenary, hm?"

"Real funny, man…" Alvin said.

Raven tilted his hat. "Then again, these bones are quite weary for someone my age. Say, Cress… Would you be so kind to–"

Cress walked past him. "Not happening. Now, run ahead of me." She told Raven. The Zoroark just chuckled, tilting his hat down. "I haven't even finished what I said." He said, catching up with Cress very quickly despite his earlier claim. Alvin breathed heavily. "I-I can't… take another step…" he wheezed.

"Will you stop being a retard and keep running!?" Cress shouted at Alvin.

"I heard you already!" Alvin said, resuming his running. "I heard you!"

…Eventually, everyone made it at the top of the spiral, taking a long rest. Alvin was heaving and wheezing to the point that he needed refreshments immediately. Kite had already helped Lucille down and most of everyone here were already at the next passageway present on the top of the staircase.

"Phew…" Van wiped the accumulated sweat from his forehead. "That was one long run…"

"I found something~!" Taro floated over to Celsius, his hands holding onto a rather appealing stone-crafted hairpin. Celsius turned to the Banette doll, examining the hairpin. She nodded. "This hairpin has magical powers. More specifically, reducing earth-based damages caused within a certain radius around me… I must thank you, Taro." Taro giggled bashfully, wiggling his body about.

Luca panted, his legs rather wobbly from the long run. He had a bit of difficulty getting up from where he sat. "I think we had enough rest, Arche…" He talked to the princess. Arche turned to look at everyone. They all appear to be ready, including Alvin. She turned to Luca. "Okay. Let's go on."

Heading through the passageway at the top of the staircase, the Crystal Bearers found themselves at a wide space. Paths branched out, below and above each other as puzzling paths, leading to "unknown" territory. Some of the paths led to wider platforms which had other connected paths around it. Although… once they entered, they immediately met the sight of Shadows roaming the paths and platforms.

"Finally." Alvin drew out his gunblades at the Shadows. "We've went through hell before you all decide to show up, you know!?"

All of the nearby Shadows' attention were brought towards the Crystal Bearers.

"Why did you do that…?" Kite sighed.

"Who cares? We'll be taking them down, anyway." Alvin reasoned, shooting a Shadow down. Everyone else sighed, readying themselves for imminent battle.

* * *

"Luca! Break down those paths!" Arche called out as a wave of Shadows approached them. Luca, in the Ground Crystallus form, clenched both of the sand fists hovering around him as he dove down towards the Shadows. "Earthsplitter!" Luca announced, slamming both fists onto the rock path, causing them to crumble down and bring the land-bound Shadows along with the shattered path. The light brown shadings around his robe shimmered as he charged a fist, swinging it upwards. "Stone Dragon Ascent!" He shouted, performing an uppercut, bringing forth earthly energy from beneath him and struck down some of the aerial Shadows.

Raven drew out his cards, throwing them at the Shadows Luca had not hit. After every card made their mark, he snapped his claw. The cards all detonated, harming and killing Shadows caught in the explosions. The remaining Shadows were all made quick work of the rest of the team, especially Nin, who kept speeding through Shadow by Shadow with lethal slashes.

Everyone else took a look after the Shadows had been defeated. "Looks like we can carry on, for now." Cress said.

' _Sire Caeruleum very close now.'_

Cress nodded as Luca landed, dismissing his Crystallus. "That's a relief… I'd thought we'd be here longer." Luca said. Everyone turned to the path ahead of them. Well, at least the one that wasn't destroyed in the midst of the battle.

* * *

"…You sure that this is even an aristocrat?" One of the thieves shook his head. "His personality isn't even dignified…"

"MMMRRRRRPH! RRRRRGHGHGHGH! MRGRGRGRGRFFFFFFFFFFFF!" Irvine screamed furiously through the gag tied around his beak. His tied feet trashed around while he amusingly bounced around from his spot.

"…" The other two thieves stared at the struggling Empoleon. "…As much as I'd hate to do it… But it'd be better if we kill him right now."

"RRRRGH!?" Irvine shot his eyes at the thieves. "MMMMRRRRRRGHGHGHH! GRRGGGGRGGHHHH!"

"…All in favour?" The first thief spoke, drawing out a knife. The other thieves stared at him and then nodded. But before they could get close to Irvine, the Crystal Bearers rushed in the room.

"…What?" The thieves were looking at the Crystal Bearers. Irvine could see them as well lying on his side. "MMMRPH MPH RRPH MM RRRPH!?" He shouted, the gag muffling up all his words. "Let Irvine go!" Arche said, her hand reaching for her shortsword.

"This doesn't look so hot, whaddya think we're gonna do?" One of the thieves from behind whispered. "It's bad enough that those two from earlier decimated our group…" The thief in front muttered. "We're screwed if we even attempt to resist, so…" The trio of thieves nodded to each other and turned to Irvine. The thieves carried him up, turning cautiously towards the Crystal Bearers while holding Irvine in front of them. They took a few more steps forward, and they suddenly shoved Irvine to the group. As they caught the Empoleon, they turned to the thieves only to be greeted with a smoke bomb. After the smoke cleared off, the Crystal Bearers could not find the thieves anywhere…

"Are you alright, Irvine?" Arche asked while Van and Arturo helped remove the gag around Irvine's beak. Then, they heard an explosion and turned to where they came from. The walls had collapsed, sealing their only exit and trapping them in the room.

Irvine tossed the gag away, furious. "THOSE F**KING BASTARDS!" Irvine kicked his foot up, spraying dust in front of him. Kite covered Lucille's ears, unhappy with the choice language coming out of Irvine's cursing beak. He randomly turned to a direction, pointing at Nin specifically. "And who is this-Eh?" He lowered his flipper. "Aren't you that ninja I saw at the Waiting Room!?"

"…" Nin didn't say anything.

"Um, Irvine… This is Nin Azura. He's a Crystal Bearer, like us." Arche explained to Irvine.

"A Crystal Bearer!? For real!?" Irvine continued to look at the Ninjask. "Cool scar you got there! Where'd you get it?"

"…" Nin still didn't say anything.

"…We have to find a way out." Kite said, to quickly quell the imminent situation that was about to happen on the topic of Nin's scar. "We're not sure that if we blast the blocked exit, the entire room will cave down on us. We'll have to find another way for safety…"

"Dream on!" Irvine turned around and rested his back on the stone wall. "As if an entrance is gonna show up outta–W-W-Woooaa-!?" Irvine was cut off when he suddenly felt nothing to rest on and subsequently lost his balance, toppling down on the stairway which appeared from beneath the entrance Irvine coincidentally revealed when he pushed a segment with his back. "Stairs!" Kite said.

"A-Are you alright…?" Lucille called out to the stairs as the sounds came to a stop.

"MY BACK F**KING HURTS!" Irvine's shout reverberated from beneath.

* * *

With the stairway as their only path out of the room, the Crystal Bearers made it to the end of the stairway with no difficulty, and recovering Irvine from his 'injuries', they entered a large room. The room had columns extending to the other side like a hallway, symbols engraved in all of the columns. Sand was spread across the entire flooring of the room. And at the opposite end of the room from where the entrance was, two figures stood by, examining the hieroglyphics on the walls.

"Are you done yet?" Questioned the larger and taller figure to the smaller figure. The large figure was clad in heavy armor and a large steel club was hanging from the back of the armor. The smaller figure kept looking around the hieroglyphs. "Be patient, I'm just nearly… done."

"…Hm?" The large figure turned around, noticing uninvited guests. As the figure revealed its' face, it was shown to be a Tyranitar. This particular Tyranitar, however, had dirt-coloured skin. "And who are you all?" He spoke deeply. The other figure, clad in robes, turned around as well. The smaller Oranguru stared at the Crystal Bearers. "…Ah, I see now." The tone of the Oranguru was calm and collected, completely unfazed. "You must all be the Crystal Bearers."

The Oranguru waved his fan down, and almost immediately, Shadows all formed in front of him.

"Did he just summon Shadows!?" Cress exclaimed.

"Come, Fang." The Oranguru turned around. "We're done here." The Tyranitar turned to the Crystal Bearers, then to the Shadows and nodded. With that, the Oranguru drew out a small back cube from his robes, throwing it ahead. The cube expanded and formed a portal. The Tyranitar halts first to look at the Crystal Bearers, then turned back and headed in the portal. The Oranguru prepares to leave as well before he is called out.

"At least tell us who you are!" Arche said. "How are you able to summon Shadows!?"

"…Very well. I am the Gravekeeper, Horus." The Oranguru calmly said. "The Tyranitar you saw is Fang, the Warlord. We're part of the Shadow Warriors."

'Shadow Warriors…' Luca recalled hearing that name back in Mare.

"There are three more like us, and we serve the Traitor of Heaven." Horus stated. "And I shall give a warning, and for good measure. Do not stand in our way, or you shall forever be our foes." Then, Horus turned around, entering the portal before it closed from existence.

"Wh-What does that mean…?" Lucille said. "T-Traitor of Heaven…?"

"I don't know…" Cress said, bringing out her sledgehammer. "But if we don't get rid of these Shadows now, we're in a world of hurt!"

"Cress's right." Heart nodded holding her rod. "We need to defeat these Shadows first before we can talk."

* * *

Everyone struggled at the large wave of Shadows summoned by Horus, although they made it victorious in the end as the last Shadow dissolved into nothing.

"Phew…" Kite panted. "That Earthen Hairpin Celsius held really helped us… All of the Shadows used earth-based techniques…"

"Everyone's alright, right?" Vanille said, turning to the rest of the group. Her head turned to the hieroglyphs on the wall. Pausing, she continued to look at the engraved symbols for a while. As if in a trance, Vanille trudged like a zombie towards the wall. Everyone else soon noticed her scanning the wall with her eyes.

"Vanille, what's wrong?" Luca asked.

"These words… They are…" Vanille started to say when the room suddenly shook.

"W-What is this!?" Arturo exclaimed.

"These tremors… they're not natural." Celsius said.

In the middle of the room, the tiles fell apart, revealing a large pit from beneath the floor.

"T-The shit is this!?" Irvine shouted. Then, he felt his feet dragging slowly towards the hole.

"The gravity!" Van exclaimed. "It's dragging us into the hole!"

Everyone struggled to push themselves away from the pit, but the unseen force was too strong. One by one, each of them was pulled into the pit, falling through oblivion itself… The only ones who hadn't been pulled into yet are Vanille, Luca and Arche. Luca could feel his grip slipping very soon… He noticed a raised tile and grabbed it in an attempt to keep himself to the ground. It didn't work. The tile was pulled out and consequently, making Luca lose his grip as he was pulled into the pit. "W-Whooooooah!"

"Luca!" Vanille let go of the floor and was pulled into the pit. She quickly caught Luca with her hands. They both were sucked in by gravity, plummeting into the pit…

"No!" Arche exclaimed.

 **Chapter 48 End**

* * *

 **Current Party:**

 **Luca R. Ezperanda – Crystallizer (The one who connects with Crystals. He hopes for a bright future with the assistance of the Crystals.)**

 **Weapon: Rune Staff (Staves)**

 **Cloudia Vanille –** **Bowsword Trainee (She still has ways to go, but she'll perfect this art… eventually.)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Bowsword (Bowsword)**

 **Arturo Carpaice – Reunited Traveller (It may be fate, that brought him to their group.)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Lute (Sword Lute)**

 **Cress LaVeda – Awakened Resolve (A disaster, it was… But she has moved on… For the future…)**

 **Weapon: Rune Hammer (Sledgehammer)**

 **Heart Burkwood – Cleric (The blessed light continues to grow within her… She shall continue healing those in need)**

 **Weapon: Ancient Rod (Rods)**

 **Alvin – Experienced Mercenary (This skilled warrior shows no quarter, he means business.)**

 **Weapon: Serpentis (Dual Gunblades)**

 **Kite Maxwell – Brother Figure (Showing great care is nice, to the little girl he worries for…)**

 **Weapon: Stone Greaves (Greaves)**

 **Lucille Ostend – Timid Girl (This girl may not have much to say, but it seems that she has her own thoughts…)**

 **Weapon: Comet Wand (Wand), Taro**

 **Raven – Shady Guy (Who is this strange individual? Everything seems to give off an air of suspicion…)**

 **Weapon: Four of Spades (Cards)**

 **Irvine fal Isberg – "Damsel" (…Someone who has to be constantly saved by others… what a fate…)**

 **Weapon – Rare Sword (Longsword)**

 **Celsius – Ice Spirit (The legendary spirit who governs the northern winds. Her powers are not to be trifled with…)**

 **Weapon – Barehanded, Earthen Hairpin (Hairpin)**

 **Van Grantieur – Free-spirited Swordsman (No longer feeling bound by anything, this warrior now treks on his path made by his own choices)**

 **Weapon – Crimson Blitz (Broadsword)**

 **Nin Azura – Ninja (Individuals who specialize in ninjutsu to turn the tides of battle)**

 **Weapon – Lai Katana (Katana)**


	53. Chapter 49:Full-Blooded Shadow

**Tales of Faith**

 **Past Arc – Destiny**

 **Chapter 49: Full-Blooded "Shadow"**

* * *

 _It was really odd. How our group grew significantly before we reached the first waypoint to clear the Shadows residing in the Midnight Zone. There were my dormmates, Cipher, Reiga and Flaust. I wouldn't be able to believe it… the young boy living with us, Duke… also had the potential… And here he is. There was also… Ms. Colette's colleagues:_ _Mr. Esprade_ _, the school doctor. I always thought he was a 'she' based on his appearance even to this day…_ _Mr. Etch_ _, my co-curriculum instructor. He was the most experienced in close combat when compared to us._ _Ms. Celine_ _, Cipher's history teacher. She can… conjure psychokinesis, based on what told me when I asked her. Who else was there…? Oh, and there is Arda-san. Hm… None of us know about him very well… he keeps some distance away from us all the time… Come to think of it… I remember seeing Duke eye Arda-san… I wonder why…_

… _I nearly forgot. Not long after we cleared the Shadows out of the first waypoint… we found someone._ _Ms. Colette_ _said that she installed programs in me to detect Shadows: they work very well. Although… can a program be installed in a person? Anyway… That someone… was a small, gray being. This person wore some sort of strange headgear. There was a small bulb on both his arms. His orange eyes appeared glazed… My sensors went nuts when I got close to him… He is a Shadow. However, he didn't appear to be hostile like the others…_ _Ms. Colette_ _defended the Shadow… and she attempted to make acquaintances with the Shadow…_

… _And now, the Shadow is travelling with us. Everyone else are still wary of him… I am wary of him as well… It's late after the Midnight Zone had passed by… and we all noticed that he didn't disappear into the Midnight Zone when it ended… But… someone has to talk to him… Gathering my thoughts, I decided to make talk with the Shadow. But I am sure he wouldn't understand words, anyway…_

" _Hello?" I called out to the Shadow. He was sitting on a tree stump, staring at the skies. The Shadow turned his head towards me. He then faced back at the sky. Nodding to myself, I took a seat on the grassy land beside the Shadow. When I did that, I saw the Shadow shift slightly away from me._

" _Please, come closer. I have no intention of harming you." I assured the Shadow. "I just want to talk to you." The Shadow turned to me, and rather cautiously, moved ever so slightly towards me. 'Alright… I just need to talk. Hmm… Maybe I could ask him more about the Midnight Zone. He is a Shadow, after all…'_

"… _Did you know about the time where we found you? Can you explain more of it to me?" I asked. The Shadow remained silent, and shook his head._

' _Hmm… so he doesn't know anything about the Midnight Zone?' I wondered. I started to think again. 'What else should I ask…? Hm? Maybe I could ask about the origin of Shadows?' I turned to the Shadow. "Are there more similar like you? Do you know where they come from?"_

 _The Shadow, once again, shook his head without speaking._

 _This is going nowhere… "Say something, please." I said. I was expecting no response, but…_

"… _Something."_

" _Hm?" I blinked._

" _You told me to say something." The Shadow spoke. "And for your questions…" He clutched his legs. "I… don't know. I found myself there… I don't know who I am…"_

" _Amnesia?" I said. The Shadow turned to me. "Amnesia?" He asked._

 _I decided to explain amnesia to him. Having suffered from amnesia, I gave out the important parts of amnesia to him clearly. "…Okay. I understand." The Shadow nodded. I looked at him, and realized that he didn't have anything on. Like most of the Shadows we've encountered, he is nude. "Hey, do you need me to get you some clo-" Before I finished my sentence, I saw something quite unbelievable. The darkness melded around him, forming shorts around his lower body. A tattered black cape formed around his neck, fluttering behind his back. His upper body is left bare, however… "-thes?"_

 _I realized that I didn't know how to address the Shadow. "…Oh, right… What's your name?"_

"… _I have no name." The Shadow replied._

' _No name?' I thought to myself. 'That's worse than me…' I pondered for a moment. "…Would it be alright if I came up with a name for you?"_

" _A name? Why?" The Shadow asks._

" _Your name is your identity. It tells you who you are." I said to him. I started to ponder. What would be a good name for him? I remembered that I was reading something about the angels back when I was studying…_

"… _Azrael?" I said._

"… _Azraiele?" The Shadow asks._

" _Az…ra…el." I said between stops._

" _Az…ra…el…" The Shadow nodded his head with every syllable. "…Azrael… That… will be alright…" He then pinched his cape and drew out a black feather, looking at it._

"… _Ravenloss." I said immediately. "That's the feather of a raven, if I'm not wrong, and also, 'loss' represents how we found you."_

" _Azrael… Ravenloss." Azrael said. "Then… your name is…?"_

" _Rose Armornal." I replied._

" _Hey!"_

 _I recognized the voice and turned around. I saw_ _Ms. Colette_ _heading over to us with three bowls on her hands. I quickly got up and helped her carry two of the bowls. I sat back down and passed a bowl to Azrael._

" _So… how did it go?" asked me._

" _He has amnesia." I told her. "And I came up with his name: he didn't have one."_

" _Azrael Ravenloss." Azrael told_ _Ms. Colette_ _. "And…_ _Ms. Colette_ _?"_

" _Oh, just call me Colette!" said to Azrael. He nodded, raising his bowl to her. "…What is this, Colette?"_

" _It's soup! Arda made it for us to enjoy!"_ _Ms. Colette_ _explained to Azrael. Azrael looked down at the bowl of soup on his hands. He then poked his finger in the soup and immediately drew it away, hissing lightly._

" _It burnt me." Azrael said._

" _You'll need to blow." I told Azrael. I pointed to the spoon in his bowl. "You can use that instead. See?" I demonstrated by doing it myself. Blowing on the soup, I took one soupful before I put it in my mouth. It was still a bit hot… Guess I didn't blow hard enough… But I tried to ignore the pain for a while before gulping. Azrael was watching me, then he turned to his bowl of soup. He then followed my instructions, sipping the soup._

" _How is it?" I asked him._

" _It's… really… good…" Azrael said softly._

" _Isn't it?" I said in agreement. "Arda-san may not look like it, but he's a really incredible cook!" I turned to_ _Ms. Colette_ _. "_ _Ms. Colette_ _? Is it good?" I asked her._ _Ms. Colette_ _didn't reply. She was taking spoonfuls of the soup rather quickly. Really quickly…_

"… _Hm?_ _Ms. Colette_ _,_ _do you really like the soup?" I asked._

"… _Oh!"_ _Ms. Colette_ _turned to me, hastily nodding. "Y-Yes! It's really tasty!"_

"… _Bleh. I don't like this green stuff…" Azrael scooped up green vegetables from the soup with his spoon. I looked at it. It's capsicums. They were spicy vegetables. Hastily, I turned to to inform her, but she was still eating. I thought didn't like capsicums. Was I wrong?_

" _I-I have to go now…"_ _Ms. Colette_ _suddenly stood up, soup still on her hands. "Have to tell Arda about the capsicums…" She mumbled before she left. …I was wrong, then. Azrael watched her leave, then turned to me. "Rose…san?" He started to say. "Rose-san?"_

" _Hm?" I said._

" _Can I… stay near you?" He asked. I nodded. He just needed my company, right? Azrael shuffled closer, a minimal gap spacing apart between our bodies. Azrael turned his head up to face me. "Rose-san… what'll happen… if everything is over?" he asked. "I've heard everyone spoke."_

" _Hmm…" I pondered. "World peace?"_

" _Hm…" Azrael was now pressing his side against me. "I… want to stay close to you. Can I do that?"_

" _Sure." I said._

 _When I think about it… both of us don't have memories of our lives when we were found… I, at first, never thought of it as odd…_

… _But it wasn't just me and Azrael… … she was also part of this…_

… _It didn't take very long… For me to find out about myself… and to question why I am here._

 _Why I must be here._

 **Chapter 49 End**


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